Ron's Last Case
by KyleLandy
Summary: This is the story of the final mission for ex-Auror Ronald Bilius Weasley. Ron hunts down a time traveller through time as he discovers the darkest secret of Harry Potter. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I wrote this story a while back and after conferring with my good friends, like Billy Stubbs, I decided to make some changes to the story and post it here for you guys to read.**

 **My story focuses on Ron, a much-maligned character when it comes to character bashing in HP so I thought I'll give him a break. As you can tell from the summary, this story's plot device is time travel. I understand that time travel can be tricky but do not worry. Once you've read the entire thing, it will all make sense.**

 **I wanted to post the entire story up but someone suggested to me that posting one-shots often lead to fewer readers. So I decided to split it into three. The first part is called the Pledge. The second the Turn and the final one is the Prestige.**

 **I do hope you enjoy the story. When you come to the end, you might be a little confused but do not worry, I will have an author's note explaining everything. Take care and do review if you can. I appreciate reviews very much. Love you all!**

 **Ron's Last Case: The Pledge**

"So, Ron, I was wondering…" Harry spoke as Ron turned to glare at him.

"Save it, Harry!" Ron snapped as he stomped into the Auror office. Flinging his wand against the table before giving it a good, swift kick, Harry sighed as his best friend spouted a bunch of curse words. It was becoming a usual routine for him, having to pacify his best friend who, once again was at war with his fiancée.

"She's got a bloody cheek, my sister!" Ron growled as he collapsed into his seat. Harry knew this was the moment to strike. Ron's bouts of anger were as unpredictable as the weather and any moment of calmness was the moment to strike.

"Ron, I'm not siding with anyone here," Harry said calmly as he trod carefully around his words. "Let me talk to Ginny. You know how she gets with the wedding. She's already feeling the pressure from your parents. I'm sure, once she calms down, you guys can apologi – "

"Apologise?!" Ron cried incredulously as he shook his head. "Harry, have you actually met my sister? When has Ginny ever admitted she was wrong? Look, growing up with the twins and the rest of my brothers, I can take a little mickey every now and then but insulting me right to my face?! Calling me a prat over and over again?! Do you actually want to marry my sister, Harry? Honestly? Because if not, believe me, I will have no problems objecting to the entire marriage!"

"Look, you just to calm down a little." Harry sighed, trying a different tactic. "I understand younger sisters can be tough but you guys love each other."

"With all due respect, mate," Ron said as he rubbed his forehead. "You don't have siblings. You can't possibly know what it's like."

"Well, there's Hermione…"

"Hermione _isn't_ your sister nor does she act like one," Ron replied. "Hermione might seem like a sister but trust me, she doesn't behave with you like brothers and sisters do. First of all, seeing that she's older than you, Hermione acts as an older sister, not a younger one and trust me, there's a world of difference there. Brothers and sisters pick on each other all the time. They compete for affection. Living with a younger sister, not to mention the family favourite, not only meant I had to look out for her but also have to deal with pranks, jokes and all sorts of crap." Ron heaved a sigh at the thought. Though he hardly brought it up, Ron sometimes hated the way he lived. From Bill's old textbooks to Charlie's wand to hand-me-down robes while the rest of the Weasleys got brand new things, Ron often had to suck it up and live with it. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful for his parents, Merlin only knows how much he loved them but sometimes, Ron did wish for things to be better.

Harry cleared his throat. He had only one card left to play and thankfully, he knew it was one Ron couldn't argue with. "Ron, just try to work things out with your sister. Best man duties, you know."

Ron groaned at the thought. As best man, Ron had sworn to Harry that he would do anything to help ease his friend for the wedding. Knowing full well Harry would do the same for he and Hermione, Ron begrudgingly nodded his head while giving his friend a smile.

"Fine," Ron said as he gave Harry a hug. "But seriously, mate, if ever you want to back off from the wedding, just give me a wink or something and I'll be packing our bags for Fiji!"

"Why do you always suggest Fiji?" Harry laughed as he welcomed the lightened mood. Before Ron could respond, Harry heard Ron's name being called from the Head Auror's office.

"Weasley, in my office, now!" yelled the voice of Gawain Robards, Head Auror. Ron cursed loudly in the air, to which another response was heard. "I heard that, Weasley!"

"What did you do now?" Harry asked as Ron gave a shrug.

"Hell if I know," Ron replied as he grabbed his wand. "Maybe he wants to give me a promotion."

"Good luck!" Harry cried out as Ron waved at him before entering the office. Robards's office was designed to fit his nature. Being an efficient and neat person, Ron walked past the huge shelves of carefully colour-coded files. At the centre of the room, there stood a desk, several chairs, a couch and a coffee table. Behind the desk was a grand roaring fireplace where above its mantle fixed a large, stone statue of a lion's head.

There were only two reasons for being called into the office, Ron noted as Robards motioned to the couch. You either did something wrong and was about to get chewed off or you were being assigned a new case. Gawain hardly ever gave praise and even then, it was never in his office. Add that with his paperwork still being needed to be filed, the odds of Ron getting a yelling were high. Yet Ron suspected that not to be the case especially considering that he and Gawain weren't the only ones in the room.

…

The first thought that ran through his head as Ron stared at the man standing in front of him was that he had to be related to the Malfoys. From the white-blond hair to the grey eyes, the man stood tall, though not nearly as tall as him, and had an expression on his face that Ron could only categorize as smug. The man looked to be a few years his senior as he smiled at Ron with his thin lips and strong jawline though Ron noted the man's slim and lanky frame. Ron shook his hand and noted that despite his somewhat strong demeanour, his hands were surprisingly soft.

"Ronald, please say hello to Lukas Petrov. He's an Unspeakable working for the Department of Mysteries."

"Please, the honour is all mine," Petrov replied in a calm tone as Ron welcomed him. "Forgive me, sir, but just to clarify. I don't work for the Department of Mysteries, per say but rather a subsidiary organisation related to them."

"Technically, that means you do work for them," Robards replied somewhat harshly as Ron tried his best not to roll his eyes. Gawain often had a problem with anyone contradicting him, a trait that often led to rows between him and his fellow Aurors. Petrov seemed to ignore the backhanded remark, his eyes firmly fixated on Ron.

"I do apologise taking you away from what must be another busy day for you, Mr. Weasley, but I'm afraid I do require your assistance quite urgently."

"Assistance?" Ron questioned as Robards scowled at Petrov.

"Whatever duties you require of my Aurors, I need to be in the know, Petrov. Mr. Weasley is my responsibility!"

"Technically, since you work for the Minister, it is the Minister's responsibility," Petrov replied as Ron's initial impression of the wizard started to change. "I do apologise if I'm crossing any lines but as I've informed you, sir, before Mr. Weasley entered the premises, that the request for him comes from the Minister and is on a need-to-know basis. Our organisation isn't like yours, Mr. Robards. We operate at the highest level of security with clearances from the Minister and only the Minister."

"Save me the red tape bullshit," Robards growled as he took out a bottle of Firewhiskey from his desk. "At least tell me why you want Weasley here, of all people. I have other Aurors, some far more experienced than Weasley."

Ron shot his superior a glare. Though he despised Robard's opinion of him, Ron couldn't help but agree with his commanding officer. There were indeed, far more experienced Aurors with much better records and temperament than himself. Still, Ron thought fiercely as he imagined the different ways he would do with the Firewhiskey bottle and Gawain's body, he had earned his fair share of credit.

Petrov seemed to think similarly as he gave Robards a disgusted look before turning back to Ron. "Nonsense, Mr. Weasley's achievements deserves much praise and his reputation precedes him. After all, weren't you the one, Mr. Weasley, who solved the Schmidt's case?"

"Please, call me Ron," Ron replied as his admiration for Petrov began to grow. The Schmidt case was one of the first few cases he and Harry had encountered and it had attracted quite the attention. Walter Schmidt, dubbed the Polyjuice Killer by the media, was alleged to be the serial killer responsible for the deaths of three Muggle families throughout Britain. Schmidt had been a family annihilator, often infiltrating the homes by killing the husband and assuming his position using Polyjuice, before murdering the entire family. The Polyjuice Killer had taunted the Aurors for months until finally, Walter Schmidt was caught in a warehouse pleading that he was innocent. As he was inches from being sentenced to Azkaban, it was Ron, who upon further investigation into the case, realised that the murderer was in fact, Marion Schmidt, Walter's wife, a psychopath who had become disillusioned with the idea she could never have a family and instead preyed on those she felt mocked her pain.

"An innocent man might have been wrongfully convicted if it weren't for Ronald here." Petrov continued as he read the file. "The Fireball Dragon's theft, the mysterious disappearance of the Kilmonger twins, all attributed to Ron and that's not even considering his efforts in bringing down the darkest wizard that ever lived."

"With all due respect, I had Harry on those cases as well. You have to give my partner his due credit as well." Ron replied happily. In the past, a younger Ron would have been satisfied being in the limelight but years of growing up as well as the Horcrux Hunt had changed him. He wasn't the same boy he was once though his insecurities still remained as Ron thought bitterly back to his fight with Ginny.

"But, of course. The Boy Who Lived as well as Hermione Granger. You three are the Golden Trio. Pity that Miss Granger didn't choose to be an Auror. The three of you would form quite the formidable team."

"My _girlfriend_ wanted to continue her education and besides, she prefers working in other fields." Ron replied with a smirk to Robards, carefully putting emphasis on the word 'girlfriend'. It was no secret that Robards had a thing for Hermione, often appearing at his desk whenever Hermione would visit him or Harry in the office. He grinned at the thought of Hermione flinching in disgust as she mentioned she rather make out with Grawp than spend a second in Robards's presence.

"Congratulations, Mr. Weasley. However, I must insist we leave now as I must brief you on your upcoming mission." Petrov said as he stood up.

"Hold on!" Robards shouted as he stood up as well, with such force that his chair clattered behind him. "I told you, Mr. Petrov, that Ronald is my agent and I do not take kindly to being kept out of the loop."

"That I believe you should stop drinking, Mr. Robards, because I believe it has affected your ability to perceive what is happening," Petrov replied curtly as he frowned at Robards. "As I already told you, this operation is clandestine and not for your ears so are you, Mr. Robards, going to waste our time any longer or shall I file a complaint to the Minister that his Head Auror is being uncooperative and impeding our investigation which by your own laws, is an obstruction of justice?"

Ron could see Robards being taken aback by the aggressive tone of Petrov. Before he could reply, however, Petrov gave a nod as he walked to the door. "Good choice, sir. I see to it that your prompt decision making is mentioned in my report to the Minister. Coming, Ronald?" Petrov said, not waiting for a reply as he left the office. Ron turned to give Gawain a grin.

"Guess I'll be going now. Thank you for your vote of confidence, sir. I won't let you down."

"I want all your pending reports by next week, Weasley!" Gawain roared as he scowled at him. "And don't even think about asking Harry or anyone else to help you."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Ron said as he opened the door but not before taking one last look. "Harry's got a wedding to go to and my girlfriend helps me in other things besides paperwork!"

Ron chuckled as he closed the door to the sound of glass breaking and curses yelled in his name.

….

"Why are we talking about it here?" Ron asked as he stared at the crowd of Muggles in the café. Petrov had led him to a nearby café outside the Ministry headquarters where many Muggles gathered to have breakfast, chattering incessantly and loudly while being unaware of the presence of two wizards.

"It's a favourite place of mine. You sure I can't get you breakfast? It's on me." Petrov said as he called for the waiter.

"Just coffee," Ron replied while trying to ignore his growling stomach. He wanted to make a good impression for Petrov and wolfing down three helpings of pancakes did not seem like a professional impression.

"Two coffees and a bowl of chips," Petrov replied to the waiter before placing his file on the table. Ron felt his curiosity growing as he stared at the file.

"Ignore it," Petrov replied as he gave Ron a smile. "I must admit I am impressed by the way you spoke to your superior. Though it is crude, I do not deny that the man certainly deserved it."

"I've always had a problem with authority figures. Not that it gets in the way of my work!" Ron replied hastily as he gave Petrov a sheepish look.

"Very well then, to business," Petrov replied as Ron noticed the wizard pointing his wand inconspicuously around the table before muttering a Silencing Charm. "Mr. Weasley, my organisation that works with your Ministry doesn't have an official name. The magical world has secrets and what you know, even with your clearances, is only the tip of the iceberg. We operate on things that would, in the words of our youth, blow your mind. It is that very reason that we are sworn to secrecy, never to reveal what we know in any form unless of course, there is an extenuating reason and believe me, I do not speak in hyperboles when I tell you that the fate of the world is in our hands."

"Okay…" Ron replied, unsure of what to make of it. "So tell me, what do you do?"

"Thank you," Petrov replied to the waiter who had brought their chips and coffee. Taking a sip from his cup, Ron could see Petrov wrestling with a thought in his head as evident from the contorted lines on his forehead. "Tell me, Ron, what do you know about time travel?"

"Time travel?" Ron repeated, confused as to what Petrov was asking of him. Time travel was not uncommon in magic but the use of it had been carefully regulated by the Ministry. In fact, time travel was no longer possible in Britain, as Ron recalled the destruction of all the time turners during that skirmish in the Department of Mysteries.

"I know what everyone knows, I guess. You can only time travel using Time-Turners. I've never used one but I know how it operates."

"Of course, that incident in your third year," Petrov said, without missing a beat.

"Yes, how did you…"

"The late Albus Dumbledore sent a request for the use of a time turner in 1993," Petrov said before realising that Ron was staring suspiciously at him. "Dumbledore had let slipped a mention that the use was to benefit a student's education and seeing that Sirius Black had escaped under mysterious circumstances, I merely made an educated guess. Though judging by your reaction, I daresay I've hit the mark. If it isn't too uncomfortable for you, would you mind giving me more information about the incident?"

Ron stared at Petrov for a long moment before deciding he could trust him. Besides, with Sirius's death and the truth being known, he didn't have anything to lose. Ron recalled the tale of the time turner from Hermione's use for extra classes to using it to save Buckbeak. He looked at Petrov, who was listening intently to every word he said.

"Fascinating. Simply fascinating." Petrov replied admirably while he smiled at Ron. "I feared that you might be a novice in this matter but I understand now, more than ever, why you are indeed the man for the job."

"And what is this job?" Ron asked, his curiosity piqued to such an extent that it bordered upon annoyance.

"Before I go into detail as to the job, I will need you to understand what is it I do. Let me demonstrate." Petrov spoke as he took out a pen before drawing a line on a napkin. "You see, Ron, my job is to protect the timeline."

"The timeline?" Ron repeated, only for Petrov to raise his hand.

"Let me explain. For many years, man has been obsessed with the idea of time travel. It exists not only in our world but in the Muggle world as well, particularly with science fiction authors who constantly write about time travel and its implications. To us, time was just a form of measurement never to be manipulated with until that fantasy became reality in late 19th century with the creation of the Time Portal, a gateway allowing one to travel through time. It was created by a powerful wizard named Francis Croaker, dubbed by us as the Father Time."

"Appropriate name," Ron remarked as Petrov took another sip from his coffee.

"Indeed. You see, Croaker was always obsessed with the idea of time travel. He spent many years on it, developing charms and spells and finally created the gateway. You recall your foray into our department years ago, Mr. Weasley? I assumed you've seen the Veil? It's similar to that."

Ron shuddered at the thought, recalling how Sirius had fallen through the Veil after being killed by Bellatrix Lestrange.

"The Portal is gateway that, on the outside, looks to be filled with fog though if one was to touch the fog, one would realise it merely has a misty appearance but is nonetheless, a form of viscous liquid. It is this liquid that we put into the time turners, every single one of them. Now before I talk further about the Portal, I need to ask you a question. Do you know what the two main thoughts of time travel are?"

Ron thought long and hard before recalling for a moment, Hermione telling him something about time-travel during the Horcrux Hunt when Ron complained about wishing to have a time-turner so he could turn back time to kill Voldemort. "The two schools of thought are about a singular timeline as well as alternate timelines."

"Very good!" Petrov cried happily as he clapped his hands. "Yes, those are the two schools. Now, let me show you."

Petrov took out a pen and drew a straight line on a napkin. He gave the napkin to Ron. "See, this line here. This represents the first school of thought. That there is only one singular timeline. Do you know what that means?"

Ron shook his head, clueless as to what to expect.

"We humans are a simple folk," Petrov explained gently as he motioned at the line. "We see time, like we see other things, with a beginning and an end. I start at point A and end at point B. Similar to the clock, we wake up in the morning and we end at night."

"Okay," Ron said dismissively, annoyed that Petrov seemed to be explaining things slowly to him as if he were a small child.

"But there lies the mistake, Ron." Petrov continued as he flipped the napkin over. "The singular timeline isn't always a straight line. It can on certain occasions be a closed loop, its shape closer to that of a circle." Petrov said as he drew a circle on the napkin. "Tell me, if I showed you this circle without showing it to you, could you tell me where I started and when I ended?"

"I would look for where the ink is the darkest followed by the lightest," Ron replied quickly.

"Exactly. Like I said, we are simple, aren't we?" Petrov spoke as he gave Ron a smirk. "But the truth is, there is no beginning or end. The singular timeline is a closed loop, a circle. What has happened, has happened and what will happen, will happen."

"You lost me," Ron said as he frowned at the circle.

"Try answering this time- travel question. It is an exercise we use for people who want to know more about the singular timeline." Petrov said as he stared at Ron with his deep, grey eyes. "You are in a room with two doors and nothing else. You are holding an egg in your hand while you are facing the second door with the first door behind you. You heard a loud bang on the first door and you drop the egg. You have a time- turner. Complete the loop."

"Complete the loop? What do you mean, loop?"

"Come on, try it."

"Look, I've had a tiring morning. Maybe we could skip the riddles…"

"No." Petrov insisted as he stared at Ron. "Where did the loud bang on the door come from?"

"From behind the first door," Ron answered.

"But what caused it?" Petrov asked as Ron sensed the impatience behind his voice. Ron turned to his thoughts. The question was about time travel and he had a time turner in his hand….

"I caused it," Ron said while looking questioningly at Petrov. "I caused it because after the egg was dropped, I went through the second door and where I turned back time to before I heard the sound. I walked around the room, back to the first door and hit it, causing the sound that caused me to drop the egg in the first place.

"You're much smarter than you give yourself credit for." Petrov laughed as he clapped his hands. "Yes, you completed the loop and the singular timeline exists.

"But wait, why don't I just go through the second door and stop myself from dropping the egg? Or what if I choose not to time travel?"

"Aha! I see we have come to the issue at hand. You see, there is absolutely no way for you to stop yourself from dropping the egg in the first place. If you had done so, that means the egg never dropped and if the egg never dropped, it would also mean that there would be absolutely no reason for you to time travel in the first place!"

"I'm confused again."

"You should be. That's why it's called a paradox. You can't change something in the past because if you did, there would be no motivation or intention for you to time-travel back in the first place. Paradoxes are what time travellers have to work against when dealing with a singular timeline."

"But what happens if I do?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Petrov said firmly. "The time-turner wouldn't work. And as for your second question, the sound was not made by you but by some other external event. You see, Ron, before this gets too confusing, in a singular timeline, you DO NOT have paradoxes. What has happened has already happened.

When Francis Croaker created the Time Portal, he wanted to go back in time to save his mother from her tragic death a year prior. But do you know what happen? Nothing at all. He passed through the Portal and nothing happened. Poor Francis even thought that the Portal was not working. It was only when he decided to go back in time to witness her death while doing nothing to interfere with the timeline, did the Portal send him back."

"Okay…" Ron said as he scratched his head. The pieces were starting to fit in his head.

"Time travellers do not question why something happens or try to understand where it starts. Like the circle, there is no beginning and no end. Just a closed loop. The question I posed to you about the egg is one in which you need to understand that your purpose isn't to question why the egg dropped or whether you can stop it but to just travel back in time, make the same sound and wait for your past self to go through the second door before he travels back, thereby completing the loop.

"Like how Harry was always meant to stop the Dementors by casting the Patronus Charm because he had already done so," Ron replied with a sigh as he began to wrap his head around time travel. "So that's your job, to protect the Portal. But why does it need protecting if time can sustain itself as it should."

"That's just it, Ron. For the longest time, there was no need for me to look over the Portal. All I had to do was see that it was in working order and to leave it untouched. Time travellers could not possibly fiddle with time as the law of Paradoxes prohibits any changes to the timeline in any form. But, I might have been too naïve."

Petrov stared back at Ron, his eyes filled with a familiar expression that Ron knew all too well. Fear. Petrov looked around the room as if anticipating some strange presence to be eavesdropping on them. His cup of coffee stood empty on the table as compared to the bowl of chips which both he and Ron had left untouched.

"I've always believed in the singular timeline theory, Ron. But I fear, not just for me but for the sake of all of us, that I might be, though unimaginable to me, completely and utterly wrong."

…..

Ron stared at Petrov as if trying to decide if the wizard was simply paranoid as he looked about the room. He waited patiently for the wizard to start speaking again.

"Let us forget the singular timeline theory and look at the other napkin," Petrov said as he took out another napkin. Again, Petrov drew a straight line. However, once he was done, Petrov took the pen to the centre of the line and drew another line branching out from it.

"The second school of thought about time travel is the one about alternate timelines." Petrov scoffed as he pointed to the napkin. "Apologies for my disdain but alternate timelines have often been sort of a poor joke to me. If one were to follow an alternate timeline theory, it would mean that the time traveller can alter time by going back to the past to change an event but again, there would be a problem."

"Paradox," Ron replied, without hesitating. "If the time traveller were to travel back in time to change something, he wouldn't have the motivation or intention to do so because the thing that caused him to change back time would never have existed."

"Precisely!" Petrov cried as he shook his head. "To put in a nutshell, in a singular timeline, one is allowed to travel back in time so long as one does not alter the past. If one goes back and does alter something, it means that it was already supposed to happen. But in an alternate timeline, one CAN change things that weren't meant to be changed. So let us assume to be time travellers. We go back in time and say, we murder Gellert Grindelwald before his rise to power. Now for an ordinary Time-Turner, there is no going back to the future. You have to live in the past until the present catches up but let's say our time device can sent us back to whence we came. Our world would be different, wouldn't it? So the previous timeline that we were in no longer exists."

Petrov scratched out part of the original line from everything after the middle where the one line starts to branch out. "The new line takes over. And this one…" Petrov points to the scratched out part. "…this previous timeline no longer exists anywhere except within – "

"Our memories," Ron spoke, catching on.

"Yes and to which finally leads me to our mission. You see, though you may have already guessed that I am Bulgarian by birth, I migrated to England with my father when I was younger. My mother passed away after giving birth to me, something my father could never get over."

"I'm sorry," Ron replied sincerely. He knew all too well the pain of losing a loved one.

"Thank you," Petrov said with a smile. "Now, because of some complicated citizenship issues, I wasn't allowed to attend Hogwarts but I did go into Drumstrang. There, I met a boy called Boris whom I befriended. Like myself, Boris was fascinated with the idea of time travel, particularly in the manipulation of time. Boris was a firm believer in alternate timelines, the possibility that one could change future outcomes as one does. During the second war, however, we parted ways. I joined in helping your cause while Boris fell into a group of Voldemort sympathisers."

Ron listened to every word while watching Petrov. The mention of Drumstrang had caused him to flinch a little, the old prejudices still residing somewhat deep inside him but he decided to give Petrov the benefit of the doubt. After all, Petrov seemed like a genuine person to Ron.

"Three days ago, Boris came to see me. He's wanted by the Bulgarian Ministry for war crimes but still, he needed to see me. He finally had proof, you see, that I was wrong and that he had managed to create a device capable of transporting himself back and forth through time while altering the timeline. Naturally, I didn't believe him, of course, how could I? Boris assured me that he hadn't been able to test it yet and he wanted me to join him on his very first journey. Even with our differences, Boris still believed us to be intellectual partners, even friends. All Boris needed was liquid from the Time Portal."

"Which you didn't give him, I assume," Ron said as Petrov went bright red.

"You did?! Why?!"

"I was so sure it wouldn't work!" Petrov cried in a pleading voice. "You have to believe me, Ron, that nothing other than intellectual curiosity would have caused me to do it. I didn't think it was possible and yet, once he placed the liquid into the device, Boris disappeared from my sight."

"Disappeared from your sight? Where did he go?"

"To the past. The device worked, Ron. Boris is going to alter the past." Petrov replied.

"Wait…hold up… that doesn't make sense!" Ron half-yelled in frustration. Luckily, the Silencing Charm had prevented him from being heard. "If Boris has altered the past and the device works, then this has to be the altered timeline. It can't be the original timeline because like you said, it wouldn't exist. What did Boris want to do?"

"Like I said, Boris was a Voldemort sympathiser," Petrov whispered at him. "I think he wants to find a way to save the Dark Lord."

Ron felt a chill down his spine. If that was indeed Boris's intention, then they were well and truly screwed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

"But obviously he didn't succeed, right? Because last I checked, Harry put You-know-who into the ground."

"Ronald, as much as I share your optimism, I'm afraid that alternate timelines are a grey area for me. Maybe time is just taking a while to catch up and transfer us all into the new timeline where you and I could be dead."

"Bloody hell! That's it, then!" Ron cried in anger as he slammed his fist on the table. "Boris could time travel anywhere! He could go back to the Battle of Hogwarts and kill Harry. He could go back to when Harry first arrived at Hogwarts. Hell, he could even go back and kill Dumbledore and anyone inside the Order! How in Merlin's name are we supposed to know when in time he travelled to?!"

"Fortunately for us, there is something that may help," Petrov said as he eyed Ron warily. "However, there is something I need to tell you first."

"So tell me," Ron demanded.

"When I informed the Minister of what had happened, he ordered for me to go and find Boris. Like I told you, Boris wanted me to come and gave me a second device which would allow myself and anyone I take with me to the past. However, the recommendation for your services came from an authority I consider to be much higher than the Minister for Magic."

"Who's higher than Kingsley?" Ron asked as Petrov pulled out a piece of parchment. Taking the parchment, Ron began to read out loud.

"By now, you must have realised the severity of what you have done. But there is a way to fix everything. First and foremost, you must find the Auror known as Ronald Bilius Weasley and tell him everything that has transpired. You must convince him to join you on your journey. Go back to the 10th of August, 1981 at noon. Meet me in my home office where our house was upon your arrival. Convince me of who you are and ask me to leave. From there, you will wait until your quest begins and you will know what is to be expected of you. All the pieces will fit, I promise. Take care, my son."

"Yes," Petrov said as he saw Ron's eyes beginning to widen. "My father had this delivered to me through a Ministry official one day after Boris left."

"Why a Ministry official? Why not use an owl?"

"Because Ron." Petrov sighed as he stared at the letter. "My father died five years ago."

…

"A dead man requested for me to follow you back in time? Why?"

Ron was beginning to get frustrated. The complexities of time travel were starting to bog him down.

"I do not know. I only know that my father asked me to find you. Obviously, you have a role to play in all of this. I hope that before the end, we will finally get the answers we seek."

"What's so significant about this date anyways? 10th of August, 1981 doesn't seem to strike any bells. I mean, the year itself, yes, but other than that…"

"I was hoping you could shed light about that. It seems we are both at a loss." Petrov sighed as he placed an object on the table. It was a gold bracelet with a diamond at its centre. Ron could see a liquid moving inside the diamond, no doubt the liquid from the Time Portal.

"That's the device we will be using. All I have to do is put it on and I can time-travel us back to that date." Ron held the device in his hands before handing it over to Petrov.

"I think…I need to eat." Ron said as Petrov removed the Silencing Charm before calling for the waiter. Ron ordered a batch of pancakes and started to wolf down his food. Petrov chuckled at the sight as Ron glared at him.

"Sorry," Petrov said as he stifled a laugh. "You remind me of my father. He, too, had a voracious appetite."

"Good for him, then."

"My father was a good man, Ron, just like you." Petrov sighed. "He was a Healer, you see and he worked both a private practice as well as St Mungo's. He would often teach me things about healing like how to deal with magical wounds or the process of delivering babies. He developed quite a reputation during the war as a private healer. He even managed to heal the wounds of several members of the Order of the Phoenix. That was quick." Petrov said as he watched Ron swallow the last of his pancakes before finishing his coffee.

"I always fill up when I'm nervous," Ron said as he gave the parchment back to Petrov. "I wonder, Petrov, seeing as if the timeline seems okay right now, maybe we should just let this one be."

"I would have said the same thing, Ron, if I didn't receive the letter from my father," Petrov said as he stood up. "But you and I have no choice in the matter. Since my father sent the letter and requested you, it means that…"

"…I've already decided to go." Ron sighed as he and Petrov walked out of the café. "I need to write a letter to Hermione. Tell her that I'm on a case. I won't give any details of course"

"What for?" Petrov said as he led Ron to an empty alley behind the café.

"Because we don't know how long this thing may take."

"Need I remind you that we have a time travelling device? It will be like you never left." Petrov said as Ron's ears flushed pink.

"Sorry, force of habit."

"It's quite alright. Take out your wand." Petrov said as he removed his.

"Why?"

"Since the device only deals with time and not space, if we go back to where we are now, this alley might not even be here. We could be falling into a hole if we went back to the date here. We should apparate to the village where I stayed during that time." Petrov replied as Ron removed his wand. All of a sudden, Petrov grabbed Ron's hand as a serious expression crossed his face.

"Ron, before we do this, you need to understand something. Whatever we may encounter in the past, there is only one thing you must remember. No matter what happens, we need to ensure that the timeline remains intact and that means…"

"No altering the past," Ron whispered as he became crestfallen. When it became clear that he would be able to time travel, a part of Ron had entertained the idea of travelling to the Burrow to give Fred a letter, imploring him to stay away from the Battle of Hogwarts.

"I know what you're thinking," Petrov said as he placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "But we can't. We must let the past play out as it was always meant to be. We need to restrict ourselves to our mission and only our mission."

"Fine," Ron replied in a resigned tone as he raised his wand. "So where was your father's office? It's not in Fiji, by any chance?"

"Fiji?" Petrov said as he gave Ron a bemused look. "No, I stayed in a well-known village, one of the most famous places in all of England."

"Where?"

"Godric's Hollow."

…..


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Such an amazing response to my story really makes my day! Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed my story! All those wonderful things you said really made my day. I might write more about Ron's other cases. Maybe after I finish my other fanfiction story.**

 **Just a head's up before you read this chapter, though my story is an AU, I'm trying to stick as close to canon as I possibly can. By canon, I mean the seven HP books and not CC, which one of my reviewers aptly describes, as a cursed disaster. Writing about time travel can be quite tricky and things can become a convoluted mess. Check out The Flash on CW if you want to see what I mean.**

 **I will attach an author's note to end of this chapter to address any issues that you may have. Other than that, enjoy the chapter and once again, do review if you can! I appreciate you all very much!**

 **Disclaimer: I believe HP belongs to JK Rowling**

 **Ron's Last Case: The Turn**

Ron stared at the large stained glass window depicting the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus over at the door of the church. Despite having been built in the thirteenth century, St Jerome's Church still remained perched near the village square of Godric's Hollow, having stood the test of time. Though he made his way to the front door, Petrov grabbed his hand and instead, lead him to a back door of the church. Unlocking the door, Petrov then led Ron into what looked to be a storage room for cleaning supplies. The room was narrow and its ceiling quite short as Ron squeezed uncomfortably with Petrov inside the small room.

"Not to be a drag, Petrov, but usually when I go into rooms like this, it's because Hermione and I need a quiet place to make out," Ron grumbled as Petrov gave him an amused look.

"I do find your humour quite refreshing, Ron. Nevertheless, the reason we are here is because back then, the 10th of August was a Monday and hence, there will be few people present in this church. Secondly, since we shouldn't be seen, a storage closet seems like a good hiding place to appear from." Petrov replied as he placed the bracelet on his arm. Ron felt his leg being squashed by a mop.

"Should we ask your father about the letter?" Ron asked as Petrov shook his head.

"No. Besides looking at the letter, I say he doesn't know what's going to happen either. My plan is that we follow the instructions that my late father gave us. Do not deviate from it."

"I'm still wondering about the date, though. I can't think of anything specific from my end." Ron grunted as he kicked the mop away. "I mean, if I was Boris and I could time-travel to any point in history that will help You-know-who come to power, then there's just so much to choose from. Tell me about this Boris guy again."

"Well, Boris from a long line of fanatical Purebloods, one of the oldest families in Bulgaria. To ensure their purity, they often had inter-family marriages. Boris himself was a product of incest, his mother being his sister."

"Gross!" Ron cried in disgust. "Shouldn't he be deformed or something?"

"Not necessarily," Petrov said though Ron could see that he shared the same disgusted expression. "Wizarding genes are different from Muggles. As long as the male is Pureblood or his dominant genes are taken from his father, the chances of the child being deformed are rare. Then again, other factors can also affect genetic material like being exposed to Dark magic or having been bitten by a Crumple-Horned Snorkack though such a creature is thought to be mythical. Here's a picture of him." Petrov said as he showed Ron a recent photograph of a light-skinned wizard with long, black hair and piercing green eyes.

"Looks a little like my Potions Professor," Ron said as his thoughts turned to Snape. "Is there anything about Boris that you can link with this date? Anything at all?"

"Nothing comes to mind."

"I thought as much." Ron sighed as Petrov placed his wand on the bracelet.

"Hold on to me. I myself have never time travelled before so I can't tell you what to expect." Petrov said as Ron grabbed his arm. Offering a smile, Petrov stared at Ron. "We're in a church. Maybe say a prayer if you're nervous."

If there was one thing anyone knew about Ron Weasley, it was that he wasn't at all a religious man. Instead, Ron placed his faith in a different source, a source Ron firmly believed in despite what anyone said and one that had given the patience and temperament to be the person he was today.

"Go Cannons," Ron yelled as a bright white light emerged from the ring, blinding them both. Ron felt the unpleasant sensation of having a hook pulling him from somewhere behind his navel before he and Petrov disappeared, leaving nothing except a few broken supplies and an empty storage closet.

…

"Bloody hell." Ron groaned as he vomited once more into the mop bucket while swearing upon his life never to eat before time travelling again.

"Come, Ron," Petrov said gently as he smiled at Ron. "The 1981 air will do you some good."

Ron knew the device had worked as soon as they stepped out of the church. The sun shone brightly on their faces as Ron felt the heat on his skin compared to the cold winds of an English winter. The streets were filled with all kinds of buildings that no longer stood during his time. Even the people were dressed differently. Ron noticed many of the Muggles wearing skin-tight trousers or fashionably-designed drainpipes jeans though a few still had bell bottoms as they tried to cling on towards earlier times. Even though most of the wizards still wore robes which weren't that different in his time, Ron could see many of the younger wizards sporting unusual haircuts ranging from permed hair to outrageous Mohawks, no doubt from being influenced by the late 1970s punk rock scene. Ron stared at the nearby graveyard, which had certain tombs conspicuously missing. Without wasting any time dealing with the present, Ron raced to catch up with Petrov as the pair walked through the village.

Petrov's home stood on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. It was a small, brick house with a smoking chimney, signifying that someone was home. The two storey cottage looked rather quaint with a nice garden and a small shed next to it. As Ron walked up the stony path towards the door, he could see Petrov lagging behind, his eyes glistening as the wizard looked to be trying to come to terms with what laid in front of him. Ron stood to the side as Petrov approached the brown, oak door before pressing the doorbell. Ron held his breath as a loud ringing ran throughout the house. Within a few seconds, the large, front door creaked open and a man stood at the entrance.

The first thing Ron thought of as he saw the man was that he had to be Petrov's doppelganger. The man had a slightly larger build to him, though Ron noted that the man was about the same height as Petrov. The man also had white-blond hair and wore horn-rimmed glasses. He had grey eyes just like Petrov and similar facial features as well. The startling resemblance to his son was uncanny and if not for the fact that the man was bespectacled and looked slightly older, Ron was certain he could be looking at twins. No doubt, the man was Ivan Petrov as Ron turned to his son whose eyes looked to be brimming with tears. Seeing that Lukas was too stunned to speak, Ron decided to get the Snitch flying as Ron showed his wand before speaking.

"Ivan Petrov?" Ron asked as the man nodded.

"Yes, that's me. And who, may I ask, are you two?"

"My name is Seamus Finnigan and this is my partner…Viktor Krum." Ron replied as he decided to mask their identities for the moment. "We are newly appointed members of the Order and we need your help."

"How do I know that you're members of the Order?" Ivan asked as he glared suspiciously at the pair.

"Ask us anything about it," Ron replied.

"Very well, who created the Order?"

"Albus Dumbledore."

"Too easy. Name me three individuals who are members of the Order."

"Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and James Potter."

"Tell me something that only an Order member would know."

Ron hesitated at the question. Unlike Harry and Hermione, Ron wasn't well informed about the history of the Order, knowing only the minimal facts about the secret organisation. There was, however, one vital piece of information that he knew though Ron couldn't say for certain that Dumbledore would have informed every member of the Order. Nevertheless, Ron decided to play his hand.

"About a year ago, there was a prophecy concerning a boy belonging to James and Lily Potter. That boy's name is Harry Potter and it is said that he will defeat You-know-who. In order to protect him, the Potters are now under the Fidelius Char – "

"Shhh!" Ivan interrupted as he glared at the pair of them before looking around. "Okay, I believe you," Ivan said, much to Ron's relief. "Now, what do you want?"

"If you'll be so kind as to let us in, we would be happy to explain." Petrov blurted out as Ron turned to him. He could see that Lukas was trying hard to compose himself at the sight of his late father. Ron felt sorry for his partner and wondered, as they entered the house, how he would react if he met with Fred once more.

….

As Ron swung himself on a wooden, rocking chair, he took the moment to survey the Petrov's living room. The room itself was fairly neat and contained the basic furnishing such as a sofa set, threadbare carpets and a large bookshelf filled with volumes of books about Healing and magical spells. He could hear voices being raised in the other room where Petrov had asked to speak to his father in private. Turning his attention to a glass cabinet near a corner of the room, Ron could see items such as a bezoar as well as potion bottles containing all sorts of concoctions, some of which Ron hadn't even heard of although he could recognise a few. A loud slam of a door jolted Ron from his thoughts as he turned to face Petrov whose eyes were red.

"What happened?" Ron asked as he approached Petrov who collapsed onto the sofa.

"I've managed to convince him who I am and what we must do," Petrov replied grimly.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked.

"Told him some things that only he and I know. Don't worry; I never said anything that could affect the timeline." Petrov said as he wiped away a tear. "He finally came round and I told him about the mission. I left the part about the letter, of course."

"Are you okay?" Ron asked as he looked at Petrov sympathetically.

"Forgive my state," Petrov replied as he rubbed his eyes. "I never expected to feel quite so emotional."

"It's only natural," Ron replied gently as he tried to console Petrov. "Merlin only knows how I would react if I had the chance to talk to Fred again. Bloody hell, I might not even say a word. Just hug him and tell him to stay away from Hogwarts on a certain date. I know, I know, timeline and all that crap" Ron said as he raised his hands.

Petrov said nothing though he offered Ron a bittersweet smile. Ron sat down on the couch next to him. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

"Where's the younger you?" Ron said as he looked around as if expecting a younger version of Petrov to enter the room at any moment. Instead, Petrov gave a light chuckle.

"I'm not here today. Or all this week. I'm actually away in Bulgaria, staying with a few of my relatives. I imagine it can be quite a sight, seeing your older self sitting on the couch as you enter the house." Petrov said as he took out the letter.

"So what's the move now?" Ron asked as he took the letter.

"I have no idea. I'm just as clueless as you are." Petrov said as he shrugged his shoulders. The door to the living room opened and Ivan entered, carrying with him two bottles of Firewhiskey as Ron noticed the senior Petrov's hand trembling as he set the bottles on the table.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't sure if I should serve you drinks." Ivan spoke. Ron turned to Petrov who smiled as he gratefully accepted the bottle.

"I doubt that it will do much to the timeline. Sometimes, people who turn back time make small adjustments like pushing against a rock that they stepped on or cutting themselves on the branch but these actions don't have much effect on the timeline. Besides, we have a time device. If anything changes, we can change it back."

"Thank Merlin," Ron said as he took his bottle. "I could use a drink."

"I don't suppose you're really Seamus Finnigan?" Ivan asked him as he fixed Ron a curious stare.

"No," Ron said as he looked at Petrov who shook his head. "I can't tell you my real name either. Sorry."

"That's quite alright," Ivan replied as he gave Ron a smile. "My son has informed me of your delicate time situation. I just…sorry…this is all still very new to me."

"You and me both," Ron said as he took a swig of Firewhiskey. "So you're a member of the Order, Mr. Petrov?"

"More like an acquaintance," Ivan said as he sat on a chair across the pair. "I am sort of a private healer to the Order though the knowledge of that is only to Order members. Forgive me for questioning you both but Dumbledore informed me that there was a spy in our ranks and I had to be sure that you both were genuine. As for the three members you mentioned, I know of them but I've never met any of them before. I know about the prophecy and the Charm because Dumbledore mentioned it to me, asking me to keep a lookout for any strange occurrences that might occur in this village. Clever man, that Dumbledore."

"Yes, he was," Ron whispered under his breath as his fingers found the Deluminator that Dumbledore had given him. Ron brought the item on every Auror mission, its usefulness having saved his and Harry's life on more than one occasion.

"Was I a good father?" Ivan asked suddenly as Ron could see Petrov turning pale as the question struck a chord with the latter.

"Why are you using past tense?"

"Because I'm dead, aren't I?" Ivan said as Ron nearly spat out his drink. "You always had a poor poker face, Lukas."

"Father…I…"Petrov stammered as Ivan reached over to touch his hand.

"It's okay," Ivan said gently as he smiled at his son. "I don't know how, in Merlin's name, are you here nor can I trust myself to believe it but yet here you are. Now I know that no matter what happens to me, you would get the chance to grow up. I just hope I did the best that I could, Lukas."

"You did more than your best," Lukas said as the two Petrov men stood up to embrace. Feeling awkward at the situation, Ron cleared his throat.

"I'll just give you guys some privacy."

"Nonsense, Seamus!" Ivan said as he and Petrov pulled away from each other. "It is I who has to leave. Now, son, you didn't specify where I have to go."

"Just away from the house for the moment, Father," Lukas replied as he exchanged a look with Ron. "If anything comes up, I will inform you."

"Very well then. I shall return back to St Mungo's." Ivan said as he summoned a bag into the room. "You were quite fortunate to catch me during my lunch break. I'll just finish it at my office. Usually, it's about the only time I can be at home during this time, if you recall, Lukas."

"Yes, Father," Lukas said as he smiled warmly.

"Are you sure you should head to St Mungo's?" Ron asked as he looked at the younger Petrov who gave him a puzzled look. "What if you bump into someone you're not supposed to meet? Couldn't that change the timeline?"

"Not to worry. I can simply apparate straight to my office." Ivan spoke as Petrov contemplated Ron's words. "No one is allowed in my room nor would they suspect that I've return early."

"Ahhh."

"Well, gentleman, if that's all then I bid you farewell for now," Ivan said as he shook Ron's hand before giving Lukas a hug. "Lukas, if it were possible, do stop by at my office before you leave. I do wish to say a proper goodbye."

"Yes, Father."

"Well, gentleman, I wish you both luck though I, myself, am in need of one. I might have two babies to deliver soon. Can you imagine that one of the couples refuse to know the sex of their baby? Imagine that, not knowing if it's a boy or a girl. I couldn't possibly do that." Ivan sighed as he stared at Lukas. "Oh wells, take care!"

CRACK!

Both wizards stared at the spot where Ivan Petrov had Disapparated from. Ron turned to Petrov, who looked deep in thought.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Huh, what?" Petrov said as he stared at Ron, looking flustered. "Sorry, just thinking about something."

"Okay," Ron said as he walked towards the living room door. "By the way, you're absolutely sure about that thing where small actions don't impact the timeline that much?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" Petrov asked, staring curiously at Ron.

"Because I need to take a dump," Ron replied as he ran towards the toilet while Petrov sighed and rolled his eyes at him in a surprisingly good Hermione-like fashion.

…

" _Hey, Ron, so what did you do today?"_

" _Oh nothing much, Hermione, just the usual Auror stuff. Say, remember that broccoli and carrot salad your mother made me try last night as part of her insane crusade to get us all to be vegetarians? Well, it's in a toilet at Godric's Hollow nearly twenty years ago! Can you bloody believe that?! I took a shit into the past"_

" _Ronald Weasley! Watch your language! And what in Merlin's name do you mean?"_

" _It means, my dear, is that the only place safe to store that horrible meal your mother tries to pass as food is in the pa-"_

"Ron! Are you alright? You're taking quite some time." Petrov said as a loud knocking on the toilet door shocked Ron away from his thoughts.

"I'm fine!" Ron roared out as he sat on the toilet bowl, tapping his feet while waiting for his bowels to do its thing. He eyed a copy of the Daily Prophet that was left near the toilet sink. Picking it up, Ron ignored the usual main headlines which he figured were full of news about Voldemort and his followers. Instead, Ron did what he always did with the Daily Prophet, flip to the sports section. There, once again, on the third page of the sports section were the results for last weekend's national Quidditch league matches. Ron groaned out loud as he read about the Chudley Cannons' incredible ten point loss to the Kenmare Kestrals, having gotten the Snitch but lost out due to the Kestrals incredible scoring Chasers.

 _At least that's one thing I can count on_ Ron grumbled as he tossed the newspaper aside before his bowels started to move. He wondered if he could persuade Petrov to lend him the device so he could bring Harry and Hermione to 1892, the last time the Cannons won the title. As his thoughts turned to Harry and Hermione, Ron reached for his wallet in his pants and pulled out a bunch of photographs that he kept with him at all times. The first was one of him with Harry and Hermione taken at King's Cross the day Hermione left for Hogwarts to complete her education. The second was of him and Fred, taken during their Egypt trip in his third year. The third was of the DA, taken during one of their training sessions by Dennis Creevey. A lone tear streaked down his face as Ron stared at the photograph at the faces of those who he had lost two years ago. Fred Weasley, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown and even Dobby, whom Harry had invited along for that day.

Not wanting to fall prey to his emotions once more, Ron continued to flip through the photographs, each a treasured memory from his past. There was a picture of him and Lavender during their early dating days, a picture of him and Harry during their Auror training, a picture of him and Hermione on their first official date as a couple where they ate at this nice Muggle café in Australia when they went to retrieve Hermione's parents. Ron chuckled as he came to the last photograph, one he kept for devious reasons. It was a photograph of an eight-year-old Ginny in one of Aunt Muriel's wedding dresses. Ron recalled that day when Ginny burst into his room while asking him to help her put on make-up that she had taken from their parent's room. Ron laughed at the photograph, noting how badly he had applied the mascara and lipstick. He also made excessive use of the blush, insisting he had to cover her freckles which were, strangely enough, not quite as much as the rest of his family. The end product left Ginny looking more like a clown than a bride and the taking of this photo meant that Ron always had a form of blackmail to use against his sister if she ever pushed too far. He sighed at the photograph, reminding himself of the promise he had made to Harry as best man.

A loud ringing broke Ron out of his thoughts. He quickly departed the toilet as Ron entered the living room, his wand by his side as Petrov motioned his head towards the front door. The doorbell rang once more as Ron and Petrov heard loud banging on the front door.

"Mr. Petrov, are you there? Please, I need to speak to you."

For some reason, the voice sounded vaguely familiar to Ron though he was sure he had never heard it in his life. Moving slowly towards the window next to the front door, Ron motioned for Petrov to stand guard by the door as he snuck a peek through the window. There was no one at the front door.

A loud banging on the front door startled Ron as he leapt back from the window while Petrov kept his wand firmly aimed at the front door.

"Mr. Petrov, please, I really need to speak to you if you're there." Ron exchanged a look with Petrov before nodding his head towards the front door. Understanding his cue, Petrov kept his wand by his side as he slowly opened the door while Ron stood to its side, his view of the front being obstructed by the door. He could see Petrov's eyes widening as he gasped at whoever stood at the front of the house.

"Please, please come in. I know who you are, of course." Petrov said as a figure entered the house. Ron could see that from his back, the man looked fairly well- built and had silky black hair. The man turned around to face Ron who nearly toppled over at the sight of the man.

"This is … one of my patients, Seamus Finnigan." Petrov said quickly as the man looked confused for a moment before extending his hand towards Ron with a big smile on his face. For years, Ron had seen pictures of the man, especially during his time at Hogwarts where often, he would catch his best friend staring at a picture of the man before he went to sleep. Ron remembered each night staring at Harry's face as he slept, wondering just what the man must have been like during his time. Never in his wildest dreams did Ron ever expect to meet him again and yet here he was, standing no less a foot away from Ron.

"Pleasure to meet you." James Potter said with a smile, after almost twenty years of being dead.

…..

If Ron thought that the resemblance that Lukas had to his father was uncanny, it was nothing compared to James and Harry. Other than the colour of his eyes which were brown and the conspicuous lack of a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, James was every bit the physical embodiment of Harry Potter. Ron watched as James placed the Invisibility cloak he had used to disguise himself on the table as Petrov led him into the living room. Though he tried his best to be polite, Ron could see that James looked anxious as his eyes darted around the living room.

"Take a seat, James. May I get you something?" Petrov spoke in a calm manner, as Ron noticed how well he composed himself. The meeting with his late father had helped Petrov to get used to the situation although Ron couldn't say the same of himself. He stood in the corner of the living room as he stared at James who shook his head at Petrov's request.

"No thank you, Mr. Petrov." James started to speak before Petrov raised his hand

"Please, call me Ivan," Petrov replied as he gave James a reassuring smile. "What can I do for you, James?"

James sighed as he turned his attention towards Ron. "Forgive me, but what I need to say to you is confidential." That seemed to jolt Ron out of his daze as he nodded his head and was about to head for the door when Petrov spoke.

"It's quite alright, James. Seamus here is a newly appointed member of the Order."

"He is?" James said though Ron could see that the wizard was unconvinced. "I didn't know we had any new members."

"Dumbledore recruited a few after the many losses we've suffered," Petrov replied, without missing a beat. James stared at Ron for a few moments before heaving a sigh.

"I don't blame him. I don't even know much of what's happening anymore." James sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "You'll probably already know this but it's been more than a year since I had a proper conversation with anyone other than Lily."

"Ahh, yes," Petrov replied as he nodded. "But I suppose that's what one has to sacrifice being under the Fidelius Charm. Which brings me to this question, why are you here, risking your life to come and see me? Surely an owl would have sufficed."

Instead of answering, James turned his attention to Ron as if trying to size him up. "Sorry, but what did you say your name was, again?"

"Seamus Finnigan," Ron replied seamlessly though his fingers fidgeted nervously in his pocket.

"And how did you get recruited? How did you know about the Order?" James asked, his eyes narrowing on Ron.

"I'm related to the Prewetts," Ron said as he racked his brains for an answer. "I'm cousins with Fabian and Gideon Prewitt as well as Molly who's married to Arthur Weasley, of course. When my cousins passed, I asked Molly about them and how I wanted to help in the war. She's the one who introduced me to Dumbledore.

"Ahh, I see," James replied, his expression softening at the mention of Ron's uncles. "I'm sorry for your loss. I knew Fabian and Gideon, two of the fiercest fighters I ever had the pleasure to meet. Forgive my cautiousness but I had to be sure. Like Moody says – "

"Constant vigilance," Ron replied, finishing James's sentence for him. James gave a warm smile before turning to face Petrov.

"Ivan, I need your help. Dumbledore warned me against leaving my house, insisting that I stay there at all times so you can see that I'm taking a risk just coming to see you." James sighed once more as he looked about the room. "Dumbledore told me about you so I know I can trust you. I recognise his description of you as soon as you opened the door."

"Thank you for your trust in me, James," Petrov said as he and Ron waited patiently for James to continue. The latter motioned the pair closer as he spoke in a low whisper.

"Lily's not feeling well lately. I fear that something may happen soon and I need you to come and see her."

"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked as James shook his head.

"I can't say. With all due respect to your house, Ivan, we never know if anyone is listening. All I ask is that you come over to my house to see for yourself."

"But without knowing her condition, how can I know what potions or medical supplies to bring?" Petrov asked.

"I already have everything you need but I need a Healer to help me. Here, take this." James said as he gave Petrov an empty piece of parchment.

"It's fitted with a Protean Charm," James said as Ron's eyes began to widen. "When the time comes, I will write a message on it, informing you to come. Once that's been done, destroy this parchment and come as soon as you can."

"Very well," Petrov said as he took the piece of parchment from James. "Seamus and I will go to your home as soon as you call us."

James gave Ron an apologetic look as he turned to face Ivan. "I'm sorry but the invitation to my house is just for you and you alone. It's just a matter of security, you see. No one knows about my wife, not even Sirius."

The mention of Sirius's name took Ron by surprise. Ron knew, of course, the friendship that James and Sirius share was more than just a close one. James trusted no one more than Sirius and even made the latter godfather to Harry. As such, the thought of James keeping anything from Sirius was unimaginable, to say the least.

 _What could be so important that James wouldn't even tell Sirius?_

"I'm afraid that's really quite out of the question," Petrov replied. "Mr. Finnigan here was bitten by a Murtlap and he is still under observation. He's okay for now but his body could relapse within the next twenty-four hours and I must do his recovery charm immediately or he might die."

James shifted his gaze from Petrov to Ron and back again to Petrov. Ron could see that James seemed to be deliberating upon whether or not he could come. After a few long seconds, James gave Ron a reluctant nod.

"Fine." James sighed as he headed for the front door.

"How are we to go to your house if it's under the Fidelius Charm?" Petrov asked as James turned around to smirk at him. Opening the front door, James whistled loudly.

"I had to leave him outside. Don't worry, he's been checked for diseases."

If Ron thought his meeting with James was emotional, it was nothing compared to what happened next. For one thing, Ron had never interacted with James while he was alive nor had he ever witness James's death. The same couldn't be said for the person who came into the house. From the moment Ron set his eyes on a huge, black dog bursting into the room. He felt a sharp pain pierced through his heart as Ron tried very hard not to cry. Though his relationship with the man was brief, he was someone Ron looked up to, even admired as the man gave Harry such joy and hope while he was alive. As the dog transformed into a handsome, young man with long black hair, Ron couldn't help but stare deep into the man's grey eyes which were very much still full of life.

"Sirius Black," Sirius spoke as he gave Ron and Petrov a wicked grin. "How can I be of service?"

….

Somewhere in the house, Ron could hear a clock chiming for midnight. He watched as Petrov picked up the parchment for the umpteenth time as he glared at the blank paper staring back at him. Ron could hear his stomach growling though he pushed away his growing appetite as he twirled his wand. He could picture being back at the Department of Mysteries once more, watching Harry call out for Sirius as the dead man fell through the Veil, courtesy of a Killing Curse by Bellatrix Lestrange.

Sirius and James had left hours ago after Sirius had revealed the location of the Potter's home to Ron and Petrov. For added security, James left his Invisibility Cloak with Petrov so that he and Ron could sneak into the house without attracting attention. Ron watched as James and Sirius transformed into their Animagus form as the unusual pair of animals left Petrov's home through the back. Ron picked up the Invisibility Cloak as he recalled the very first moment Harry had shown it to him back when the pair snuck to look into the Mirror of Erised. Ron welcomed the happy memory before the image of a dead Sirius tormented him once more.

"Petrov, do you think…"

"No, Ronald," Petrov answered before Ron could finish. "We cannot change the timeline."

"But an innocent man is about to go to jail for something he did not do!" Ron replied, his temper rising. "What's the point of having this ability to change time if we sit around and do nothing? If I could convince Sirius to remain as Secret Keeper, You-know-who doesn't find James and Lily and Harry gets to grow up with his family. We could save three lives instead of none!"

Petrov placed down the parchment as he stared back at Ron with sadness in his eyes. "Tell me again about the prophecy, Fidelius Charm and what happened in 1981. Everything that you know."

"What?" Ron asked as he sat down on a chair. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Just humour me. While we still have time."

"Fine," Ron replied as he fold his arms across his chest. "In early 1980, Dumbledore interviewed Sybill Trelawney for a job at Hogwarts. During that interview, Trelawney made a prophecy that referred to a boy born at the end of July who would defeat You-know-who. Part of this prophecy was heard by Severus Snape who told You-know-who. You-know-who decided that the boy was Harry and sought to hunt him down. Dumbledore, upon hearing this information from Snape who defected because of his love for Harry's mother, placed the Potters in a Fidelius Charm in August 1980 with Sirius Black as Secret Keeper. Upon completing the charm, Dumbledore ordered that no one in the Order was allowed to visit the Potters for security reasons. He suspected that someone had been passing information to You-know-who."

"Wait, so no one had any contact with James and Lily during this time? How did you know that?" Petrov asked.

"Kingsley told us," Ron answered as he continued. "Now, as the war raged on, Sirius felt that the Death Eaters were on to him and so, in an attempt to throw the Death Eaters off his trail, Sirius gave the Secret to Peter Pettigrew who betrayed the Potters in less than a week, causing You-know-who to kill James and Lily. Lily sacrifice herself for Harry, as You-know-who had initially wanted to spare her life upon Snape's request."

"I see." Petrov sighed as he gave Ron a bittersweet smile. "Tell me, Ronald, what would you suggest to do?"

"Convince James not to let Peter become Secret Keeper."

"So that Harry's parents would live. But, Ron, if Harry's parents lived, that means Harry never stops the Dark Lord that night. And if my reading of your records after the war are correct, Harry never becomes a Horcrux. Thus, he doesn't receive the power meant for him to defeat You-know-who. And what then? Harry and his family go on hiding forever while You-know-who continues to wreak havoc on the world."

"No, Dumbledore might have stopped him," Ron said firmly as Petrov shook his head.

"You're forgetting the Horcruxes, Ronald. Dumbledore wouldn't be able to stop You-know-who. It was, and always will be, Harry who had to carry out that task."

"What if we send a letter to Dumbledore, stating that Sirius switched with Peter?" Ron snapped, not wanting to give in. "We may not be able to save James and Lily but at least, Sirius might have a chance at going free. Harry could be with his godfather and not be raised by those awful Muggles!"

"In which case, Peter, whom it was said escaped during your third year, would be much more resolved in his pursuit of bringing back You-know-who and once again, if You-know-who were to come back earlier, he would continue to pursue Harry and continue his reign of chaos."

"But what if we told Sirius about how…"

"Ronald!" Petrov said firmly though Ron could see sympathy in his expression. "You are not the first person to suggest changing the past nor will you be the last. It is in our nature, of course, to want to change things but you must place your faith in the future that holds endless possibilities. You might think that what you are doing is noble, and I admit it is, but the consequences could be devastating. What if by changing the past, you inadvertently create a newer, more dangerous foe? What if by changing the past, you kill millions just to save one person? No, Ron, like I said before, we mustn't meddle in time. The responsibility of a time traveller is to protect the timeline."

"The responsibility of a man is to protect the ones he loved!" Ron yelled as he stood up. "How could you stand there and tell me that if there wasn't a way to prolong your father's life, you would not take it? Sirius wasn't supposed to die! James wasn't supposed to die! Lily wasn't supposed to die! Remus! Tonks! Dobby! Colin! Lavender! FRED!"

At the mention of the last name, Ron kicked the table in anger as it overturned, causing the empty bottles of Firewhiskey to shatter on the floor.

"He was only twenty years old! He was my brother!" Ron shouted as warm tears fell from his face. "He was supposed to live a long and happy life and instead, he's now six feet under the ground. It's not fair."

"Of course it's not fair," Petrov replied gently as he used a Mending Charm to repair the damage. "None of this is fair. I know it's not easy for you nor for myself to sit here in the presence of people who are but ghosts to us but it doesn't deter us from our duty. This is what I hate about alternate timelines. Instead of allowing us to grow as people, we rather misplace our faith to try to alter what cannot be altered just because we wish to have control. But we don't, Ronald because to have such power can be too dangerous. Death, time, love, these are things that are out of our control and we need to accept that. You-know-who couldn't accept death and look what happened to him."

"So I'm supposed to let Sirius go to Azkaban and James to die simply because time is something that I shouldn't control?" Ron sighed, his expression softening as Petrov nodded his head. All of a sudden, the parchment vibrated as Petrov snatched at the parchment before offering Ron a poor expression of a cheeky smile.

"It's time," Petrov said as it was Ron's turn to roll his eyes before grabbing the Invisibility Cloak.

….

"I don't see why we can't just Apparate there."

"Because, Ron, for the last time, you cannot Apparate onto the grounds of a place that has the Fidelius Charm."

"Yeah, yeah, I know! Are you sure your last name isn't Granger?"

"Ron, we're here," Petrov said as he pulled the Invisibility Cloak off the pair.

Though there seemed to be nothing special about the two-storey cottage, Ron knew that in a matter of months, this house would arguably be the most important structure in all of British Wizarding history. There were hedges surrounding the cottage as a light shone in an upstairs room. The outside walls were made using large cobblestones as Ron swung the small, wooden gate that led towards the front door. Unlike the day, the night was cold as Ron felt the freezing winds pierce through his coat. A streetlight illuminated the stony path in front of them as Ron felt the Deluminator in his pocket as Petrov knocked on the front door. After a few seconds, the door swung open as James ushered them inside.

"Seamus, you can wait here in the living room," James said as he motioned towards a comfy-looking chair next to the fireplace. "Ivan, I need you upstairs now."

"Daddy?"

The three men turned and Ron nearly gasped out as a tiny, one-year-old Harry peered from the top of the steps.

"Merlin's beard, Harry!" James cried as he ran up the stairs to scoop Harry into his arms. "How did you get out of your cot? Forgive me, Ivan, Seamus, this is Harry, my son. Say hello, Harry." James replied as Harry gave a tiny laugh while his green eyes widened at the sight of the two strangers.

"He's adorable," Ivan whispered as he smiled at Harry. Ron, on the other hand, stuck out his hand to Harry who grabbed his thumb in response before trying to put it in his mouth.

"Easy there, Harry!" James laughed as he pulled Harry away. "Sorry Seamus, he can get quite handsy. Though he must really like you, Harry doesn't usually respond this well to strangers."

 _You have no idea_ Ron thought as he gave Harry his famous lopsided grin. "He had beautiful eyes," Ron said though he stared at Harry's forehead which was as smooth as it could be.

"He has Lily's eyes," James replied as a loud scream was heard upstairs. "Blimey, Ivan, we need to go. Seamus, wait for us downstairs." James said as he carried Harry upstairs while Petrov followed behind. Ron went back to the living room as he sat in the chair while taking in his surroundings.

"Hey Harry, guess what? Not only did I meet your parents but you tried to eat me the first time we met." Ron laughed as he tried to picture how that conversation with his Harry would go. Seeing a bunch of picture frames on top of the fireplace, Ron got up and approached the mantle. Most of the pictures were of Harry growing up as James and Lily photographed every moment of his life so far from his first few steps to the day James helped Harry to potty train. Though some of these pictures were in the photo album that Hagrid had passed to Harry, many were not as Ron smiled warmly at the sight of a family portrait where James and Lily kissed Harry cheeks as baby Harry giggled in response.

 _You had such a wonderful family, Harry_ Ron thought sadly as he picked up a picture with James and Lily dancing on their wedding day as friends and family cheered in the background. He could see Sirius and Remus laughing by James's side while a cold rush of anger ran through Ron as Peter Pettigrew stood next to Remus, laughing as well.

Before he could dwell further on the photograph, a bright white light appeared in the centre of the room. As the light began to fade, Ron could only stare in shock at the sight of a tall wizard with long black hair and light skin. The wizard appeared to be just as shocked to see Ron as Ron was to see him.

Ron felt his Auror instinct's kicking in as he raised his wand faster than the wizard could. "Expelliarmus!" Ron roared as the wand flew in the air allowing Ron to catch in. Before the wizard could say a word, Ron whispered a binding charm to the chair as he watched the wizard float into the air before finding himself seated on the chair, unable to move.

"Nice to meet you, Boris!" Ron said to the light-skinned wizard who glared back at Ron with piercing green eyes.

…..

"Who are you?" Boris growled as Ron smirked at him.

"I'll be asking the questions if you don't mind," Ron replied. "How did you get here?"

"You look familiar to me," Boris said, ignoring Ron's question. "Where have I seen you before…ahhh yes… Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter's famous lapdog." Boris drawled as he sneered at Ron. "Had enough of sponging off your famous friends?"

"Really, that's the best you can do?" Ron said as he shook his head. "I had to put up with Draco Malfoy. Surely you can do better?"

"Oh, what are you going to do to me, Auror? Send me to Azkaban?" Boris laughed derisively as he glared to Ron. "We're a little out of your jurisdiction, don't you think?"

"Not for long. I'm going to bring you back to our time." Ron growled as he pointed both wands at Boris. "Then, you're going to Azkaban."

"On what charges?" Boris laughed as he continued to sneer at Ron. "I haven't done anything yet. There are no laws on the use of time travel this far and I doubt the Ministry would want any word of this to get out. Think of the issues that could arise from it. No Wizengamot could convict me as there are no grounds to do so. If anything, I would probably get a hefty sum just to keep my mouth shut."

"There are grounds." Ron snapped though he knew, in all probability, that Boris was right.

"How about you give me back my wand and we duel like men? Attacking an Auror would be enough to convict me. If you win, you send to Azkaban." Boris replied as he smiled wickedly at Ron.

"How daft do you think I am?" Ron said as he dragged a chair in front of Boris. "Just be quiet."

"Where's Lukas? Where is my good friend?" Boris asked as loud screams of pain coming from a woman could be heard from upstairs. "What's happening?"

"Just shut the hell up," Ron growled though he was curious as well. Seeing that Ron was unfazed in telling him more, Boris tried a different tactic.

"How about we do this differently? I'll tell you something and you tell me something."

Ron said nothing as Boris continued to speak. "Fine, I'll answer your question."

"When I gave Petrov the device, he refused to join me. Lukas always had a very narrow mind when it comes to the timeline. When he pulled his wand on me after I took the liquid from the Time Portal, I used the device to turn back time before I entered the room of the Time Portal. There, I had planned on retrieving my device before Petrov and I even entered the room, even at the risk being seen, before something came over me."

"Something came over you?" Ron said as Boris nodded.

"Suddenly, I found myself escaping the room and as soon as I was outside, I apparated to Godric's Hollow where I used the device to send me back to this moment in time. I was counting on the Potters being asleep and the date itself seemed random enough. Then you appeared in front of me and we find ourselves here."

"But this house is protected by the Fidelius Charm. There's no way you could enter." Ron replied icily as he glared at Boris.

"How in Merlin's name did you become an Auror?" Boris scoffed as Ron glared at him. "When I used it in my time, there was no Fidelius Charm then so I could just walk into the living room. As time travel devices deal with time and not space, the device sent me here into this house and I'm free of the Charm because I'm already inside."

"And you plan on murdering the Potters just so your Lord can live," Ron said in disgust. "You make me sick."

"You have just as narrow a mind as Lukas," Boris replied as he shook his head before whispering harshly. "Do you think I'm doing this because I want to let some sociopathic wizard rule over us? No, Ronald, I intend to present the deaths of the Potters as a gift to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord would then take me under his wing as reward for my efforts. There, I'll learn under his tutelage until I become just as powerful he is. Before Voldemort knows anything, I would simply go back in time and kill him but I, I will have retained the knowledge and powers the Dark Lord had bequeathed to me. From there, I will go back in time learning from the great wizards themselves. Dumbledore, Grindelwald, even the great Merlin himself, I will learn and I will kill and I will become the most powerful sorcerer to ever walk this earth."

Boris smiled as his eyes glinted evilly under the light of the fireplace. Ron felt himself shuddering as he took a step towards the wizard.

"You're nothing but a madman," Ron growled as Boris let out another derisive laugh.

"Is that what you call me? Mad, am I, just because I have vision. Just like your Dumbledore had vision, did he not, when he wanted to rule the world with Grindelwald."

"Dumbledore knew the difference between right and wrong!" Ron snapped hotly

"Only because a tragedy stopped him for truly realising his potential. But Ron, why are you fighting me when you can join me?" Boris asked as Ron stared back at him in disbelief.

"Why, in the name of Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts would I even consider joining you?" Ron asked.

"If you let me do what I come to do tonight, I will ensure your family's safety. Then you can join me together in my quest. We would become Gods, Ronald. Masters of time! The Dark Lord was foolish to think he could cheat death. Death would have found him eventually but not us. Not us! We could simply turn back time, over and over again, out of Death's chilling hands."

"Even if you did kill the Potters, you wouldn't exist!" Ron snapped. "The timeline would change and so would you."

"Because you believe in paradoxes?" Boris laughed. "Did you think I would make such a device and not thought of that? Wearing that time device allows you to become an entity outside of time. We could create alternate timelines and not subject ourselves to the harsh cruelty of a singular timeline. Think of the lives that you could save, Ronald? If I killed Voldemort in his youth, wouldn't James and Lily still exist? Wouldn't Harry? In my alternate timeline, everyone wins especially us."

"You're a monster!" Ron growled as Boris glared angrily back at Ron.

"As compared to you?! You, who would rather subject yourself to Petrov's theory! And how does that pan out? James and Lily will die! So too will their friends! And yours as well. All those who lost their lives in the Battle of Hogwarts will be dead because of you! Even…"

A sick smile appeared on Boris's face.

"Even your brother, Fred if I'm not mistaken, would be alive. You could save Fred, Ron."

"Shut up," Ron whispered dangerously as he took another step. "Don't you dare mention my brother's name again."

"So it's come to this, is it?" Boris whispered as he glared at Ron. "Tell me, does it feel good, Ronald Weasley to watch your loved ones die when you know you could have saved them. Does it feel good, knowing that all the pain in your life could have been prevented and yet you're too cowardly to do so because you're afraid of destroying the timeline? How noble of you, Ronald Weasley, to let them all die. I hope, for Merlin's sake, that you are haunted each and every night by the face of your dead brother because by doing nothing you're might as well have killed him yourself, you murderer!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Ron yelled as he threw the wands down on the ground before grabbing Boris's collar. Upstairs, Ron could hear Harry crying as he glared daggers at Boris who seemed unaffected by Ron's response. "Say anything about Fred or my loved ones and I swear to Merlin, I will end you right here."

Boris laughed wildly at Ron's threat as the latter felt his temper about to blow over. "Stop fucking laughing, you filthy piece of scum."

"Piece of scum, eh," Boris said as he grinned at Ron. "Tell me, Ron, did Petrov tell you about what we learn in Drumstrang during our final year?"

Boris moved his head closer to Ron before whispering. "How to use wandless magic to lift spells."

Ron's eyes widened as he felt a couple of hands push him back towards his chair. As he crashed, Ron saw Boris picking up both wands. Moving as fast as he could, Ron grabbed the Invisibility Cloak that he had placed on the chair and placed it on. He could see Boris twirling the wands in his hand in a familiar fashion.

"Not going to help you," Ron said out loud as he tried to flank Boris. "You can't Apparate in the grounds of the Fidelius Charm."

"You're not as dumb as I thought, Weasley," Boris said as he tried to source for the sound of Ron's voice. "Doesn't matter, I'll just go up these stairs and do it myself."

Ron watched as Boris headed for the stairs. Knowing he only had a small window, Ron lunged for Boris who, unfortunately, expected the move as he fired a Stunning spell at Ron's feet. Ron felt himself crashing before the first step of the staircase as the cloak came off his body.

"An Invisibility Cloak." Boris smiled as he picked up the item. "You never cease to amaze me, Ronald Weasley," Boris said as he admired the cloak before flinging it aside. Ron watched as Boris pointed both wands at him, the pain from the fall preventing him for grabbing at it. He waited for the inevitable Killing Curse but instead, Boris did something unexpected. He threw Ron's wands into his hand.

 _What the –_

Before Ron could finish his thought, Boris had pointed his other wand at him before whispering a familiar curse.

"Imperio."

…

Ron felt himself standing up on his feet, despite the pain while holding the wand in place. He felt a most wonderful feeling, like a floating sensation as every thought and worry in his head started to evaporate. Boris laughed as he touched Ron's face with his cold, clammy hands.

"You know, the Imperius Curse was a specialty of Lukas. He was the best at it. Lukas could Imperiused you without you even knowing about it. Kind of ironic, don't you think, for him to die at the hands of it?"

Ron said nothing as he merely stared at Boris who instead, laughed wickedly at his poor attempt.

"Do not strain yourself, Ronald Weasley. Though I may be not as good as Petrov, I assure you that the curse is quite effective. Now…" Boris said before looking at Ron's relaxing hands and pointing his wand at him. "Hold the wand with two hands! We don't you dropping the wand when you kill your best friend and his family, do we?"

Ron felt his other free hand grab the centre of the wand as he held his wand firmly with both hands. Boris smiled at Ron's action before pointing the wand towards Ron again. "Now, march up these stairs. Let us do what the Dark Lord could never do."

With each step, Ron felt nothing but bliss as he wanted to canter up the stairs to whatever it was that Boris wanted him to do. Yet something was nagging at the back of his head, slowing down his reaction.

"Come now, hurry!" Boris said impatiently. "I've waited too long for this!"

The nagging feeling became stronger, only it wasn't so much as a feeling now as it was a voice. A familiar voice yelling at him

" _Do it, Ron!" Harry yelled._

Memories started to enter Ron's head. Ron thought back to that night, deep inside of the Forest of Dean, where he heard Harry screaming at him as he stared back at the images of his worst fears. It was that night that Ron swore never to allow another evil force to manipulate him as the locket once did. Drawing strength of the memory, Ron felt his movements slowing down even further.

"You're testing my patience, Weasley," Boris growled behind him yet Ron paid no attention to the wizard. Instead, he thought back to the photographs he kept in his wallet and the people that he held dear.

 _Dressing up Ginny. Hanging out with Fred in Egypt. Practising with the DA. Learning to be an Auror with Harry. His first date with Hermione…_

" _Not the past, Ron."_ Ron heard Petrov's voice in his head. _"Place your faith in the future that holds endless possibilities."_

Ron's thoughts turned instead to the future and the life that awaited him.

 _Being best man for Harry. Harry and Ginny's wedding. George and Angelina's wedding. My wedding with Hermione. Getting our first house together. Getting Hermione pregnant. Get my Muggle driver's license that Hermione thinks I can't get. Becoming a father. Raising my kids. Take them to their first Quidditch match where I will raise them to become Cannon supporters. Watching them go to Hogwarts for the first time together with Harry and Ginny's kids where I will send them off before Hermione and I take a well-deserved vacation. Preferably somewhere nice and warm._

 _Like Fiji_

 _Fucking Fiji_

Ron felt the curse slowly lifting its effects as he resisted as hard as he could, using his thoughts as willpower. Ron felt a wand prick his back as an idea came into his head

"Hurry up!" Boris growled angrily as Ron looked towards his wand. It was a risky move but Ron had seen it work first hand before and he prayed to Merlin that it would happen again. Using what little strength he had, Ron split his wand in half, leaving the two pieces dangling off each other.

"What are you doing?!" Boris cried as Ron whispered a single word.

"Stupefy."

The next thing he felt was his two hands burning as the wand exploded in his hands. The charm backfired as Ron felt himself crashing into Boris, who gave a yelp, before the two wizards careened down the stairs. Ron felt pain shooting against all sides of his body as he felt himself being cushioned by Boris as they landed on the bottom step. The last thing he heard was a loud snap before the living room of the Potter's cottage faded from his sight.

…..

"Owww!" Ron cried as he felt a throbbing pain at the back of his head. He blinked his eyes open as Ron felt a warm solution being rubbed on his hands.

"You okay?" came the voice of Lukas Petrov, which Ron realised was not in his head as he stared up at the wizard rubbing Essence of Dittany onto his injured hands. The solution brought about a soothing relief which Ron welcomed gratefully.

"Just give me a minute." Ron groaned as he began flexing his fingers. Petrov looked at him with concern.

"Did your wand backfire?" Petrov said as he showed Ron the remaining shards of his shattered wand.

"Blimey, Hermione's going to kill me. That's the third one this month." Ron chuckled as he placed the broken pieces of his wand into his pocket.

"Why, in Merlin's name, would you cast a spell on a broken wand?"

"Wouldn't be the first time…Wait…Where's Boris?" Ron said as he winced slightly while pulling himself up to his feet. Petrov said nothing as he motioned towards a figure being hidden under a blanket. Giving Petrov a puzzled look, Ron lifted the blanket and nearly blanched as he stared into the cold, dead eyes of Boris whose neck looked unnaturally twisted.

"He broke his neck when you landed at him," Petrov replied grimly as he covered Boris up. "What happened down here?"

"In a minute," Ron said as he rubbed the back of his head in the hopes that the pain would subside soon. As he winced about in pain, Ron recapped everything that had occurred with Boris as Petrov listened intently. At the end of his story, Petrov clapped his hands as Ron could see knowing look on the former's face.

"What? What is it?" Ron asked as Petrov gazed at Boris once more.

"It all makes sense. But Ron," Petrov said as he looked up the stairs. "There's something you need to see."

"First, tell me what is it that makes sense."

"Ron, I must insist tha- "

"Petrov!" Ron roared as he glared at the wizard. "I was nearly manipulated by a madman to kill my best friend and his family not to mention you! Now tell me what makes sense!" Ron demanded as Petrov sighed.

"Very well," Petrov said as he motioned for Ron to take a seat. "First, do you remember what I told you about the singular timeline? About being a closed loop?"

"Yes, yes, chicken and egg thingy," Ron replied impatiently.

"Well, when we came to my father's house and introduced ourselves, the thought occurred to me. The reason we know what date to return to and what to do is because prior to us leaving the timeline, I must have informed my father to do so but to only reveal the information to me on the day after Boris time travelled back in time. You see, the reason we know what to do is because we already told ourselves to. What I couldn't figure out is how Boris fitted into all this."

" Wait, wait. Slow up." Ron said. "Explain it again but slower."

"Ron, I think we should – "

"Explain."

"Fine!" Petrov cried in frustration as he threw his hands in the air. "First, Boris goes into the timeline. The next day, I get a letter from my father. Then, I meet up with you and inform you that we both need to travel to 10th August 1981 because that's the date my father told us to go. We go back in time, meeting my father and telling him to do what the letter says. We then go the Potter's house where you encounter Boris and defeat him. Now since time is a closed loop and we are in a singular timeline, all we need to in order to close the loop is to tell my father to send a letter to us on the exact date when I received him, giving him the same information that we got from our letter. So we should leave Potter's cottage to meet my father at St Mungo's where I would convince him to write the same letter to us and to give it at the exact date I receive mine from the Ministry. I would also convince not to say anything to either or you and to keep it a secret until the day he dies. That way, the loop is closed and we preserve the timeline."

"But wait…" Ron said as he began working things out in his head. "So we know how to go to this date because we send a letter informing us about it in the future?"

"Precisely."

"But how did we know about the date?"

"Ron!" Petrov sighed. "Remember the egg breaking exercise. If you keep thinking about the timeline as a line, you're going to go mental. Just accept that it is a loop with no paradoxes."

"Okay, but what about Boris?" Ron said as Petrov gave Boris a grave look. "How did he know to come here?"

"Because we told him too. Or rather, I did."

"I'm confused again." Ron sighed.

"Remember what he said? About feeling something come over him and him doing something he didn't plan to? Sound familiar?"

"The Imperius Curse!" Ron exclaimed excitedly as Petrov nodded. "But when did you cast the curse on him? When Boris went back in time, you and him hadn't even begun talking about the device unless…wait, don't tell me…once we return to our time, you and I will head to the Time Portal room where we will go back in time to when Boris time travelled inside the Time Portal room. Then, while being hidden, you will use the Imperius Curse on him, telling him to go to the Potter's Cottage and come here during this time, thus closing the loop. And the reason you're smiling at me right now is because everything we have intended to do has already been done."

"Actually, it's because you're finally understanding time travel despite how complicated it can be." Petrov laughed as he clapped Ron on his back.

"What do we do with him?" Ron said as he pointed to Boris.

"We should take him back to our time," Petrov replied. "He belongs there. Don't worry. I'm sure to include the fact that his death was accidental and you did it in self-defence."

"How come you didn't come down earlier?" Ron said as he took Boris's wand. Green sparks appeared at the end of it as the wand recognised its new master. "We weren't exactly quiet down here."

Petrov said nothing as he stared at the staircase. Ron got a good look at his robes. He didn't realise it before but Petrov's robes, especially his sleeves, had large bloodstains all over it.

"Petrov, what happened upstairs? Is Lily okay?" Ron asked with concern as he recalled earlier screams.

"She's okay. Look Ron, there's something you should know." Petrov said in a serious voice as he stared at Ron. "Maybe it's best if I just show you."

…..

On a day where Ron meet up with dead people joking about in a living room, evil time-travelling wizards hell-bent on becoming God and a year old version of his best friend, Ron decided that there was nothing that could surprise him anymore as he slowly trudged up the stairs. Ron shot Petrov questioning looks about what to expect, to which the wizard ignored as Petrov brought Ron towards a bedroom door. From the outside of the room, Ron could hear the cries of a baby and soothing sounds of James and Lily coming from the inside.

"Harry's being a cry-baby as usual." Ron chuckled as he grinned at Petrov. The wizard did not return the smile nor did he say anything but rather motioned uneasily at the door. Knocking a single time before pushing it open, Ron realised as he stood before the sight in front of him, that he had been sorely mistaken.

If there was one thing that Ron prided himself on, it was that he was Harry Potter's best friend. Even Hermione couldn't make that claim though she and Harry did have their moments, it was him whom Harry spent the most time with, him who Harry shared secrets with. Ron was the one who opened his family up to Harry, the one whom Harry spoke to about anything from Quidditch, to girls, to his family. They even chose similar career paths and became Aurors together. Harry shared everything about himself to Ron and was as close to Ron as James was to Sirius, perhaps even closer.

So, it came as a surprise to Ron as he entered the room that there was something he definitely did not know about Harry Potter. To Harry's credit, Ron could see James cuddling baby Harry, who was fast asleep in his arms. Instead, the source of the crying had come from a blanket that Lily was holding up as James made faces at it while Lily laughed along with her husband before nudging him as the pair turned their attention towards Ron. James's eyes widened as soon as he laid eyes on Ron, clearly not expecting him to be in the room.

"Petrov, what is the meaning of this?" James said as Petrov tried to explain. "I thought it was best for Seamus to come upstairs to see what I was doing."

"Why?" James asked as Lily hushed her husband. "Oh, let Seamus see. This is such a happy occasion, don't spoil it, James. Come over here, Seamus. There's someone I want you to meet"

"Okay," Ron said, his heart pounding, as he walked towards the beautiful, green-eyed witch. Lily Potter looked positively exhausted though she was smiling widely as she pulled the blanket down slightly. It was then that Ron let out a gasp. There, in Lily's arms, with red peach fuzz hair and a tiny nose was a new-born baby girl. As the baby's eyelids began to move, Ron could see a small shade of brown from the baby's hazel eyes. Ron shot a blank look at Petrov who could only shake his head and stare blankly back at Ron.

 _What the hell?!_ Ron thought as Lily cleared her throat.

"Seamus, I would like you to meet our daughter, Rose."

….

 **A/N: This is the end of part 2. Part 3, the prestige, will finish this story. Just a few things to address**

 **Fidelius Charm: I can't find the exact day of when the Fidelius Charm was put on the Potters though I suspect it has to be after Harry was born in 1980. SB was the first Secret Keeper but he gave the secret to Peter who betrayed the Potters in less than a week. You can apparently change Secret Keeper without the knowledge of the caster of the Fidelius Charm unless of course, it wasn't Dumbledore who cast the spell in the first place. If Dumbledore had been involved, he would have known of PP being the Secret Keeper and could have vouch for Sirius's innocence. The entire part about the Potters being away from communication from anyone other than themselves is fabrication by me though this will be explained further in the last chapter.**

 **Are you still confused about the timeline? Just picture this. If you saw an older version of yourself waving at you, don't be alarmed. Because when you get older, you will get your hands on a time travel device where you will be travel back to that same moment to wave at the younger version of yourself.**

 **Similarly, Ron and Petrov receive a letter from Petrov's father, Ivan, telling them to go back in time where they meet Ivan for the first time. There, they go on a quest ending with Ron killing Boris while Petrov delivers Rose. Before they time travel back into the future, Ron and Petrov have to tell Ivan to write the same letter from before and to give it to them at the moment when the pair first received the letter. The loop is closed and the singular timeline is preserved. If you keep ending up in circles as you tried to figure this out, don't worry. That's how it's supposed to be. If there are any other queries, I will look into it after the last chapter**

 **Thank you for reading! Please review if you can!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I've been bogged down by deadlines on my assignments. Anyways, I know I promise you the final chapter here but because of its long length, some of my fanfic writing friends have asked me to split it into two parts and I concur. Please bear in mind that I wrote this back in early 2010 so it's like eight, almost nine years since then.**

 **I can't say more although I will say this, just push on until the end.**

 **As always, thank you for the lovely reviews and support. Love you guys.**

 **Disclaimer: I believe HP belongs to JK Rowling**

 **Ron's Last Case: The Prestige (Part One)**

"What the hell is going on?" Ron whispered to Petrov as he dragged him out of the room. "Who the hell is Rose?"

"That's what I wanted to tell you," Petrov whispered as he stared at Ron anxiously. "This is what James needed help with. Apparently, after they had Harry, Lily became pregnant in early December. James never told a soul because with the prophecy on Harry, he didn't want anyone to suspect that there was another child, one the enemy might use against them. For the child's safety, James and Lily kept it a secret which was easier, I suppose, since no one was allowed to visit them."

"Damn it, Potter, couldn't you keep it in your pants?" Ron sighed exasperatedly. "But Rose can't exist. Harry never had a sister!"

"Are you sure?" Petrov asked. "You know Harry better than anyone. Could he maybe have forgotten?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Ron snapped. "I roomed with him for six years not to mention the number of times we slept next to each other at the Burrow. Harry had visions of his past all the time. Believe me; I would know if Rose existed."

"Then something must have happened. Maybe during the night of the attack…"

"Are you saying that Rose died during the attack?! She's just a baby, for Merlin's sake!"

"A baby that never existed." Petrov sighed as he stared back at Ron. "Look, I know that this doesn't seem fair?"

"Fair? Fair?!" Ron whispered loudly as he glared at Petrov. "James and Sirius dying weren't fair. This is cruel! For Merlin's sake, she's a baby!"

"I know!" Petrov snapped back before softening his expression. "Look, maybe she didn't die. I mean, Aurors swept this place, right? They would have found something."

"No, Hagrid came first and then Sirius," Ron replied slowly, using his mind to calm himself down. "I don't see Hagrid or Sirius keeping this quiet. You're right. Whatever happened to Rose, we can be sure that she didn't die here."

"Ron…I…"

"Hey, guys?"

Ron and Petrov turned to see James standing at the top of the stairs. _I didn't even notice him walking past_ Ron thought as he and Petrov were deep in conversation. Yet, Ron noticed two things about James that made him uneasy. The first was that the usually jovial Potter was now glaring daggers at them. The second was a wand pointed directly at the pair.

"Mind telling me why there's a dead body in my living room?"

….

Ron watched as Petrov took a step forward. "James, listen…"

"No!" James yelled, his eyes blazing. "I want answers. And I want them now. Who is that down there?"

"It's more complicated than you think," Petrov said gently, hoping to calm James down. "Look, I can explain but you have to put down the wand."

"Are you guys really who you say you are?" James said as he eyed Ron suspiciously.

"We are! James! It's me, Ivan!" Petrov cried. "You did the spell, remember."

Ron could see James turning his attention back to Petrov, his wand lowering slightly. That was the moment Ron was looking for. Before James knew what was happening, Ron whipped out Boris's wand and cast a Disarming Spell.

"Expelliarmus!" Ron cried as he caught James's wand and pointed it towards him. "Get inside the room."

"Lily!" James yelled out, hoping to distract Ron. "Lily, watch out!"

"Oh screw this!" Ron said as he pushed himself into Lily's room. He could see Harry's mother looking at him with fear in her eyes while she cradled the two babies in both hands.

"James, go to your family," Ron ordered as he pointed James's wand towards him. James hesitated for a moment, glaring at Ron before walking slowly towards his family, taking Harry into his arms while Lily held Rose.

"Seamus, what the hell are you doing?" Petrov cried, aghast at the situation.

"Petrov, bring me a chair," Ron said as Petrov brought one for him. Nearly collapsing into the chair in exhaustion from the earlier fight with Boris, Ron threw down one of the wands as he fumbled his fingers into his pocket before pulling out his wallet. Removing a photograph, Ron passed it to Petrov to give to Lily and James.

"I don't think –"

"Just trust me," Ron replied firmly as Petrov sighed before passing the photograph over to Lily and James. He could see their eyes widening as they stared at the photograph with confused looks.

"That's Harry and me during our training days for the Aurors."

"That's Harry?" James cried in disbelief.

"Here's another one," Ron said as he handed another photograph. "This is a picture of Harry, Hermione and I at King Cross station right after the end of the Second Wizarding War."

"The Second War?" Lily spoke, her green eyes as wide as saucers.

"What are you saying, Seamus?" James asked, his anger vanishing only to be replaced by confusion.

Ron gave a loud sigh. It was a risk to do this, but one he was willing to take. "There's a lot you don't know. For starters, my name isn't Seamus. It's Ron. Ronald Bilius Weasley. And that's not Ivan Petrov. It's his son, Lukas."

"Ron!" Petrov cried in horror.

"Wait, Ronald Weasley?" Lily cried in astonishment. "You're Molly's son?"

"Impossible!" James roared. "I met Arthur's kid before. You're only just a baby."

"To you, yes," Ron spoke gently as he gave James a sympathetic look. "But I'm not the Ron you know now. I'm the Ron from my time. I'm an Auror from the future and I was tasked, together with Petrov here, to hunt down a time-travelling sociopath." Ron said as he told them about Boris.

"Wait, are you're saying you time-travelled? Come on!" James cried though Ron could sense the uneasiness in his tone. "That's nonsense."

"James, the first time you met Lily and Severus was on the Hogwarts Express where you and Sirius taunted Snape. You then went on to do great things at Hogwarts and one of those great things was that you, together with Remus, Sirius and Peter, invented the Marauder's Map which is a magical Map of Hogwarts. To use it, you had to say that you solemnly swear you are up to no good. Your code name was Prongs. You turned into an Animagus, which is a stag so that you and your friends could keep Remus company during the full moon where he turned into a werewolf and was placed inside the Shrieking Shack. You and Lily started dating in your seventh year."

"How did you…" James said as all colour drained from his face.

"Lily," Ron said as he turned his attention towards her. "You and your sister first met Severus Snape at a playground close to Spinner's End and you became friends with Snape. Incidentally, that was the time he fell in love with you. He was the one who told you it didn't matter if you were Muggle-born. Your sister called you a freak but she tried to get to Hogwarts, only for Dumbledore to write a letter that it was impossible for her to come to Hogwarts. You used to hate James, calling him an arrogant toerag, and then you hated Snape when he called you a Mudblood. You and James started dating in your seventh year."

"Merlin's beard." Lily cried in horror as she stared back at Ron. "How did you know all of that?"

"I told you already. I'm from the future." Ron replied as he threw James's wand back at him. "Now, do you still want to duel or would you rather I tell you what happens in the future to your son?"

James and Lily exchanged looks before nodding.

Ron heaved a sigh. "This is going to take a while."

….

If there was one thing Ron was good at, it was summarising stories. Unlike Hermione who had the ability to write a five-foot essay when she only had to write three or Harry who would go through every detail of his Auror report, Ron had fancied himself a big-picture guy and thus, could tell you a story without going through any fine details. Despite this, telling the story of Harry Potter to his dead parents took nearly an hour, with Petrov even finding the time to make tea. Ron knew Petrov was against him telling James and Lily as doing so may have adverse effects on the timeline but he had a plan. He could see that both James and Lily were captivated with the story and so too was Harry, looking curiously at Ron though he had no idea what was happening. Rose, on the other hand, was sound asleep in a cot next to Lily.

"Merlin's beard…" James said as he stared with concern at Harry. "Harry has to go through all that? Losing his godfather? Being tortured? Dying?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Ron sighed as he looked at Harry who was smiling cutely at him.

"Ronald…" Lily began.

"Ron, please."

"Ron…" Lily said as she smiled sadly at Harry. "You haven't told us anything about how we…err…"

"Yes." Ron sighed as Petrov cleared his throat.

"Ron, I must insist…"

"It's okay, Petrov." Ron cut him off as he turned to James and Lily. He had deliberately avoided explaining _that_ part to the pair. "If anything, the timeline should be affected now but it hasn't. Which means my plan will work."

"What plan?" Petrov asked curiously.

"Lily, James," Ron said, ignoring Petrov's question. "Less than three months from now, on Halloween, You-know-who will come for you. James, you will die trying to get your family to safety and Lily, you would sacrifice yourself to protect Harry out of love after You-know-who spares you, thus ensuring that the curse will rebound off Harry and setting up the Horcrux that You-know-who unknowingly cast on him. That's how Harry survived the Killing Curse, James. That's why Harry survived both killing attempts."

"So when Harry went off to willing die…Voldemort kills the Horcrux and not Harry." James said as he pondered over Ron's words. "How did Voldemort even find us?"

"Because of Peter."

"Peter? As in little Petey Pettigrew?" James asked, sounding defensive. "What does Peter have to do with it?"

"Peter is his spy, James. He's the one passing information to You-know-who." Ron replied. "About a week prior to Halloween, Sirius will give up his Secret Keeper's duty as an attempt to throw the Death Eaters on a false trail to Peter who will then reveal to You-know-who where you are. No one will know about this as the Secret Keeper can willingly hand his duty to another without the need for the caster of the Fidelius Charm to know of it."

"Are you suggesting Peter betrays us? Peter is our friend!" James cried out.

"No, James!" Ron snapped. "Peter is a coward. He's no Gryffindor. It's because of him that You-know-who finds and kills you both."

"Not quite," Lily interjected before James could retort. "You said You-know-who spares my life? Why would he do that? I'm nothing but a Mudblood to him."

"Because of Snape."

"Snape?!" James and Lily cried in unison.

"Yes, Snape. He has already defected to our side." Ron replied as the pair looked at him in disbelief. "Lily, Snape still loves you. When he heard that You-know-who intends to kill you both, he begged Dumbledore to protect you, thus the Fidelius Charm being cast. Because of Snape's services to You-know-who, You-know-who accepted the request to spare your life should it ever come to it. Because you weren't supposed to die, you were able to invoke a sacrificial protection charm out of your love for Harry, allowing the curse to rebound back towards You-know-who. Snape was an arse to us as a Professor but he did save our lives."

"Oh, Severus." Lily sighed as James shook his head. "No, no. What you're saying is that I owe Harry's life to my worst enemy in Hogwarts while the deaths of myself and Lily are because of one of my closest friends? Are you serious?"

"James, I told you things about yourself that I couldn't possibly know. I did the same for Lily. I've even shown you evidence. What more can I do?" Ron asked as he glanced at Harry who stared back at him with his bright, green eyes.

"I believe him," Lily said as tears streaked down her face as she picked Harry in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"No, wait," James said as he started to pace the room. "You just told us how to kill Voldemort right? Why don't we just do that right now? I can even tell Sirius not to change Secret Keeper. We can save them all!"

"James." Ron sighed as he stood up from his chair. "You can't do that. In fact, you won't do that. If you did, the timeline would have changed by now. But it hasn't. What has happened will happen. You can't change the past."

"Like hell, we can't!" James snapped as he glared at Ron.

"No, you can't!" Ron spoke with a tone of determination. "Because before I leave here, I will modify your memories. So that you don't remember all of this."

"And the timeline stays intact!" Petrov blurted out randomly. "Ron, that's brilliant."

"You want another round?" James said as he levelled his wand at Ron.

"What for? We both know that I'll win." Ron said as he dropped his wand to the floor. "James, Lily, I know this is hard to take in. Hell, I myself have been debating over and over about what needs to be done. Even if this is an alternate timeline, where I could go back and save all of you, consider this. What happens if you hunt down the Horcruxes, James? They might not be at the right hiding places, not yet. And how will you get close enough to kill him? You-know-who might also start hunting you much more ruthlessly than he did before and what then? How many lives will be lost? Remember the prophecy. This is and will always be Harry's destiny. You can't change that."

"Wait!" Lily spoke as she looked between Ron and James. "What about Rose? What happens to her?"

Ron and Petrov exchanged looks. "We don't know, Lily," Ron replied as he turned back to her. "There's no mention of Rose at all. Not anywhere in history and even with Harry's flashbacks, he has never mentioned her. It's like she doesn't exist."

"You mean Voldemort kills her?" Lily asked, her voice filled with trepidation.

"No," Petrov replied before Ron could answer. Ron turned to see Petrov giving Lily a warm smile. "I've been thinking about that. I think I know a solution that works with the timeline. You see, since Rose was never mentioned before, it can only mean that she went into hiding. But being Harry's sister, this isn't something that can be kept quiet. So it can only mean that Ron and I took her in. Maybe even bring her to our time when the world is more peaceful."

"You want to take our daughter from us?" James gasped

"To keep her alive, James. If we leave her with you, we are just dooming her towards an inevitable death." Petrov replied.

Ron could see both Lily and James exchanging concerned looks. Sighing to himself, Ron walked over towards them before waving at Harry. Ron could feel a tear streak down his face as Harry grabbed his thumb while smiling at him. He turned towards Lily and James who were staring at him.

"James, Lily, I wish I could turn back time and change things. Believe me, I would want nothing more in this world than to save people I've lost due to the war. I lost my brother, Fred, during the Battle of Hogwarts and all believe me when I say there is not a single day that goes by that I don't miss him or wish to Merlin that he was still alive. But I can't do that because it is what has happened. When I look at the man Harry is now, I've always wondered what he would be like if you both were still alive. But then, it would be different, wouldn't it? For all the bad things Harry had to go through, there were good things as well and the war is finally over. In my time, Harry's going to get married to my sister."

"Harry's getting married?" James spoke in a low whisper.

"Yes, to my sister," Ron said happily as he wiped a tear from his face. "He's happy, he really is. Despite everything that has happened to him, Harry is finally at peace. I will do everything in my power to take care of Rose as well. I can make sure that they're reunited, both of them. Harry can take care of Rose and I will help him. Believe me, I don't want this. I really don't want to do this. But I can't change things. I just can't." Ron finished as he realised tears were dropping freely from his face. "I'm so sorry. So bloody sorry."

"It's ok, Ron," Lily whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You took care of our children. You helped our Harry."

"Yeah." James sighed as he gave Ron a smile. "If this is how it's supposed to be, then at least I know that my children are safe."

"Won."

All eyes in the room turned towards Harry who was smiling at Ron while clapping his hands.

"Hey there, little guy." Ron chuckled as James and Lily laughed.

"Won-Won," Harry spoke as Ron cringed a little.

"Not my favourite nickname but sure, Won-Won it is," Ron said as Lily gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.

"You know how to modify memories?" James asked as he turned to Ron.

"I've been taught by the brightest witch in my time," Ron replied. "I'm going to remove the memories of our visit here, any knowledge of Petrov and myself and by extension, removing any thoughts and memories you three have of Rose."

"So I'm not going to remember my own daughter?" Lily asked as she walked over to the cot with James. "Not even being pregnant with her?"

"I'm afraid not," Petrov said as he stood next to the cot. "Any memories of Rose might trigger you to change the timeline."

"Give me a moment," James asked as he picked up Rose who was crying in his arms. Ron and Petrov distanced themselves as Ron stared at James who held both Rose and Harry in his arms. He could see tears falling from the face of Harry's father.

"Harry, Rose, you both are too young to know this nor will you remember anything of what I just said but I don't care. I want you to know that I love you very much, both I and your mother do. In such a short time, you have given us such unimaginable joy and it is that happiness which is giving me the strength to do this. Harry, remember that your mother and I love you and that no matter what happens, never give up and always strive to be your best. I wish I could see you grow up to face all those challenges that you will face. I love you so much, Harry.

Rose, your mother and I wish we could have more time with you but unfortunately, time is the one thing we don't have. Rose, I hope that whatever happens to you, you will always remember to be the good and wonderful girl that both your mother and I know you will be. Harry will take care of you and Ron will help. Ron seems like a good guy and I trust him as he has already taken care of your brother. Maybe one day, when you grow up, Harry could walk you down the aisle with you. I wish I could be there every step of the way with you guys. I love you so much, Rose. Both of you, I love you so, so much."

As Ron heard the soft sobs coming from Petrov next to him, he turned to face the window, not wanting anyone else to see him cry as he pictured the loss of loved ones that had haunted him all his life.

….

"Why do we have to put them to sleep?" Ron asked as he watched a sleeping James and Harry lie next to each other.

"You can modify their memories when they're awake but it's easier this way," Petrov explained as he cleaned up the last pieces of evidence that Lily was ever pregnant.

"Petrov, I just realised something," Lily spoke as she looked at him with concern. "If Rose is born, wouldn't there be some magical record like at Hogwarts which has her name?"

"No, it wouldn't," Petrov answered. "Rose was born under the Fidelius Charm which prevents any magical detection. Since such records can only exist at the time of birth, taking Rose out of the Charm will not change anything. Once she's back in our time, we can register her officially."

"They look so peaceful," Ron remarked as he stared at James and Harry sleeping next to each other.

"He does look so much like James, doesn't he?" Lily remarked as she smiled down at her boys. Ron gave a light chuckle.

"Must be a wizard thing. Mom always says I look more and more like Dad every day."

"I'm going to go downstairs to deal with our Boris situation," Petrov said as he started to leave the room.

"Lukas, wait," Lily spoke as she stared at the wizard. "Is it possible for me to time travel with you guys to your time? Not to change anything, of course, but just to observe?"

"I'm afraid not, Lily." Petrov sighed. "The device only works if the person in the future is supposed to be alive and since you're supposed to be…well…it wouldn't work. I'm sorry, Lily. I wish there was another way."

"Thank you, Petrov, for everything," Lily said as Petrov offered her a smile before leaving.

"I can't begin to imagine how difficult this must be for you…" Ron said as he stared at Rose.

"Yet, it must be done." Lily sighed as she looked up to smile at Ron. "If there is anyone I can trust to do that, it is Harry's best friend. He's lucky to have a friend like you."

"I'm not so sure." Ron sighed as he told her about the Horcrux Hunt. Instead of the tongue lashing that he expected to receive, Lily offered him a smile.

"But you came back, Ron, and you saved his life. Not only that Ronald, but you've always been there for Harry whenever he needed you. You gave him a family, a home and you watched out for my son. In many ways, you are the parent that Harry never had."

"More like an older brother." Ron laughed as Lily giggled before looking down at Rose.

"I've always wanted a girl, Ron." Lily sighed as she brushed against Rose's orange hair. "Someone I could spend time with whenever James and Harry would be out playing Quidditch. Someone she could come to for advice on schoolwork, makeup…boys. Ever since I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I've been dreaming about all this and now…now I won't even get to see her grow before her first birthday."

Ron said nothing as he watched Lily kiss Rose on the cheek.

"I need a favour from you, Ron."

"Anything."

"Don't modify my memories," Lily spoke as Ron could see tears dripping down her face. "I won't tell James or Harry about what happens and I will play my role until the end but please don't let me forget my child. I was pregnant with Rose for nine months, Ron and a mother can never forget her children."

Ron could sense the pain and despair from her words. With a smile, Ron nodded his head.

"Thank you, Ron," Lily said as she gave him a peck on his cheek. Turning her attention to Rose, Lily wiped the tears from her face as she beamed down on her baby.

"Rose, Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you. You're going to be safe, Rose. You're going to be away from this wretched world and into a place where you will be safe and happy. Your brother is going to look out for you and so will Ron. Mummy will never forget you, Rose. Mummy will miss you so very much. Be good for Mummy, okay?"

Kissing Rose on her forehead before handing her over to Ron, Lily whispered a final goodbye as she drank the Sleeping Potion before nodding off to sleep.

"Is it done?" Petrov said as he re-entered the room. Ron could see a bone in his hand.

"I transfigured Boris's body. Easier to carry." Petrov replied.

"Yeah, it's done. We should go to St Mungo's." Ron said as he held the sleeping baby Rose in his arms. Turning back to face the Potter family sleeping together peacefully, Ron gave a bittersweet smile before he and Petrov left the room.

…

"Oh for the love of Merlin!"

Ron and Petrov walked down the corridor of St Mungo's where a Healer's assistant laid on the ground picking up files from her overturned carriage. Petrov handed Rose over to Ron as he helped the witch pick out the files that were strewn from the floor.

"Oh, thank you so much." The witch replied. "I don't how it could have overturned. One minute I was pushing this carriage, the next thing I know is that I hit something and everything fell on the floor ."

"Lukas and it's quite alright," Petrov said as he smiled at the witch. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Ivan Petrov is? My friend and I were looking for him. It's for our child."

"Ohhh, she's so precious." the witch replied as she stared at Rose. "Are you the father? A single father, perhaps?" the witch spoke as she looked at Ron with flirty eyes. "My name is Sandra, by the way."

"Ron and no, unfortunately," Ron said as he looked away, embarrassed.

"Sandra, my name is Lukas and we really need to find Healer Petrov," Petrov replied as Sandra turned to face him, also with flirty eyes.

"Well, since you two young man helped me out, I could do you a favour. I just need to find my clipboard…." Sandra said as she looked around. Ron felt something next to his right shoe.

"Is this it?" Ron said as he motioned towards the clipboard.

"How did that get there?" Sandra said as she picked up the clipboard. "Ahh, it seems he's at the Weasley ward on the third floor, room 237."

"Weasleys?!" Ron and Lukas cried in unison.

"Yes, do you know them?" Sandra asked, sounding mildly curious.

"You could say we're practically family," Ron whispered under his breath.

"What are the Weasleys doing here?" Petrov asked.

"Probably having another baby today," Sandra replied as suddenly Ron was hit another thought. He had been distracted by Boris and the Potters and though the 10th of August had no meaning for him, the next day, however, was one that was very important to the Weasley family.

"Ginny, my baby sister, is being born today!" Ron whispered excitedly to Petrov while Sandra gave them curious looks. Ron turned to Sandra. "Thank you!"

"No problem. It's sad though." Sandra said as she looked down on her clipboard. "I don't know the Weasleys but I've heard the mother really wants a girl. Too bad, it's a boy."

"A what?" Ron cried as he nearly dropped Rose.

"Sandra!"

The trio turned towards a witch waving frantically at her.

"Sandra, I need your help getting some medical supplies. Petrov's having issues with the baby. The poor thing is critical."

"What?!" Ron roared as both witches flinched under his tone.

"We're family friends," Petrov said quickly. "What's wrong with the baby? Please, we need to know."

"All I know is that Healer Petrov has sedated the mother immediately once she had delivered the baby and told the rest of the family to wait outside. No one was allowed in, not even the father." Sandra's colleague replied. "The baby going through a dangerous magical phase called _Magicae Ablatione_. It sometimes happens when a mother or father has been exposed to Dark magic. Most of the time it doesn't manifest itself and we can save the baby but in this case…I'm sorry…" the witch replied as she gave both of them a sad look. "But it doesn't look good."

"What are you saying?" Petrov said.

"The baby would most probably not make it."

Ron gasped. "Are you saying the baby will die?"

"More like disappear. The dark magic in his system will consume his body and well, the baby will be gone… I'm sorry, sirs, but I really have to go." the witch said as she grabbed Sandra's arm.

"Wait, and the baby is a boy?" Petrov asked.

"Yes."

"And the family, they're the Weasleys?" Ron asked.

"Yes." the witch replied as she looked confused at them for the moment before taking Sandra and herself out of sight. Petrov turned to Ron, whose face was just as blank and clueless as he was.

….

"Ron, think!" Petrov cried as he closed the door of the office. Ron placed Rose in a nearby cot as he and Petrov stood across each other inside Ivan's office. Ron still could not wrap his head around it. The Weasleys could not have had another boy. Today was Ginny's birthday, Ron was sure of it.

"Ron, can you recall any details about Ginny's birth?"

"Actually, yes," Ron spoke as he tried to recall his father telling him about Ginny's birth. "I remember my dad telling me about how he and Mom didn't want to know the gender of the baby. It was kept a secret until Ginny was born." Ron said before smacking himself on the forehead. "I completely forget about what your dad said before he left. He said that he was in charge of a couple who didn't want to know the gender of their child. How could I have missed that?"

"What else did your father tell you about Ginny?" Petrov asked as Ron tried to think. His father never went into great detail after that but Ron recalled having seen Ginny's St Mungo's medical certificate inside his father's cupboard during one time when he had tried to sneak in to take some Chocolate Frogs his dad had kept hidden. "If I'm not mistaken, she was born at a quarter past five in the morning."

"It's five o'clock now, Ron," Petrov replied.

"Maybe your dad used some sort of spell to change her gender?" Ron asked as Petrov shook his head.

"It's too dangerous to cast a gender switch spell on a newborn. And why in the world would my dad do something like that?" Petrov replied, shaking his head.

"Then how do you explain that Ginny, my baby _sister,_ is now a boy? Who might also be dying?" Ron asked as he stared at Petrov. He could see Petrov working something out in his head before a look of horror came over him.

"No, it can't be."

"What?" Ron asked.

"No, no, no…" Petrov whispered as he shook his head repeatedly.

"WHAT?!" Ron snapped as he walked over towards Petrov.

"What colour are Ginny's eyes, Ron?" Petrov asked, surprising Ron.

"What does that have to do with…"

"Please, Ron! What colour are her eyes?" Petrov asked, sounding desperate.

"Brown!" Ron exclaimed as Petrov shook his head once more.

"Ron, don't you find it a little coincidental that Rose was born on the exact same day as Ginny?" Petrov whispered as Ron turned to face Rose.

"What are you saying?" Ron said as a growing fear started to emerge within him.

"Ron, listen to me. The thing about time is that you have to close all the loops. Rose was born after midnight, less than two hours from now." Petrov said as he stared at Ron. "She was born under the Fidelius Charm so there was no magical detection. Rose also has your red hair, courtesy of Lily's hair and her eyes are brown, like Ginny's and James's."

Ron stared blankly back at Petrov. "So?"

"So just as we enter the hospital, we find out that your mother is having a boy instead of a girl. A boy who might and will probably die soon, and will no longer exist and yet, in our timeline, you have a sister named Ginny with red hair and brown eyes. Don't you see it, Ron? The loop we need to close?"

"No…no…" Ron whispered fearfully.

"We wondered how come we never heard of Rose? Maybe we have, Ron. Maybe Rose did exist all this time but just under a different name. A name that was given to her by the family we gave her to. You ask me about how Ginny could be alive and be a girl when a boy who's supposed to be your brother is dying and would not exist. Your parents have been trying for years to get a girl. Do you really think they would get lucky on this seventh attempt?"

"What are you saying?"

"That Rose Potter is Ginny Weasley."

Even though he had been anticipating such a statement, Ron froze in horror as soon as Petrov mentioned those words. _No, NO, IT CAN'T BE!_ Ron thought as he stared at Rose.

"Are you fucking insane?! Do you realise what you're saying?" Ron cried in anger as he grabbed Petrov by his shirt.

"I know it's crazy but it's the only thing that makes sense! Look at her, Ron and tell me she doesn't look like your sister?"

Ron growled in anger as he removed his hands from Petrov.

"Ron, this is why you were chosen to come. If we do this, we can preserve the timeline."

"SCREW THE FUCKING TIMELINE!" Ron roared angrily as he kicked a table. The loud noise woke up Rose who started to cry. Ron, however, paid no heed as he glared at Petrov.

"This is all just bullshit! It can't be true! You're saying that the reason I have a sister is because we took her from Harry's parents and gave it to mine? That the girl that I remember growing up with, caring for, fighting with, doing everything together is actually _not_ my sister?!"

"Right now, the chances are that my dad is the only one who knows about the gender of the baby," Petrov spoke as he cradled a crying Rose in his arms. "I doubt your mother even got a good look and your father was outside. Anyone else we can modify their memories. And we have Rose. All we have to do is convince my father to pass off Rose as Ginny. That way, your parents would be celebrating the birth of their daughter instead of grieving over the death of their son."

"This cannot be true! Do you realise the implications of this?" Ron retorted, not willing to back down. "All this time, I gave Harry a hard time for dating my sister when in actual fact, it was his sister to begin with…oh, Merlin help me…Harry! Harry's in love with my… with his sister. He's going to marry her…" Ron stammered as he started to feel sick.

"Ron…I'm sorry…but maybe it's not that bad. Rose here will have a good life." Petrov said as he tried to calm the redhead down.

"Not all that bad? Harry can't marry Ginny now! It's incest!" Ron yelled. "It's just completely sick! They can't get married and they _can't_ have kids. Think about how their children would look!"

"Maybe not," Petrov said as he managed to calm the baby Rose down before laying her in the cot. "Ron, remember what I told you about Boris and his pureblood family? Although Harry's not a pureblood, you and Lily said he looked a lot like his father. Which means that Harry's dominant genes are his father which would lessen the chances of deformities to his kids and miscarriages significantly. Add to the fact that Harry has been exposed to Dark Magic, altering his genetics, and well, the chances of anything going wrong with their kids would be rare."

"Those are just theories, Petrov, and do you realise what you're implying? That I lie to my best friend and my sister and just allow them to get married?" Ron said as he buried his face in his hands. "I can't do that!"

"Then tell them the truth! Once we get back, tell them the truth, Ron. But we need to do this. It's the only way that makes sense. You've wondered what you had to do with the timeline and now here's your answer. Your role to play." Petrov sighed as he placed a hand on Ron. "I'm so sorry but we need to do this, Ron. We don't have time."

Ron said nothing as he picked up Rose in his hands. _Could I really be holding Ginny right now?_

"Ron, we have to do this. This is Ginny's origin story." Petrov whispered as Ron handed Rose over to him before heading for the door.

"Ron, Ron, where are you going! We only have twenty minutes!" Petrov cried as he cradled the baby.

"I need time to think," Ron said as he closed the door of the office.

…

" _Hermione acts as an older sister, not a younger one and trust me, there's a world of difference there. Brothers and sisters pick on each other all the time. They compete for affection. Living with a younger sister, not to mention the family favourite, not only meant I had to look out for her but also have to deal with pranks, jokes and all sorts of crap!"_

Ron recalled the words he had shared with Harry yesterday. He recalled the moments when he first found out that Ginny and Harry were dating, how angry it made him. Yet, once again, it seems that his feelings towards his sister were meaningless not because it was none of his business, according to Ginny, but because Ginny wasn't his sister.

The thought of Ginny being Harry's sister made Ron positively ill. Ron stood for a moment against a window, hoping that the waft of fresh air would do him some good.

 _How could Ginny be Harry's sister?!_ Ron thought angrily. Though his heart was determined to convince that this was all a mistake, his mind, however, agreed with Petrov. Strangely, the voice in his head sounded like Hermione.

 _If you don't do this, Ron, Ginny doesn't exist._

 _But I can't do this, Hermione. Do you know how wrong it is? SHE'S MY BLOODY SISTER FOR MERLIN'S SAKE._

 _No one is denying that Ron. Ginny will always be your sister no matter what. She's the one whom you protected against those Muggle bullies when you were younger. She's the one whom you tried to teach chess to. She's the one that pulls pranks on you and you do the same. She's the one whom you help comfort when Harry broke up with her. No matter what time or blood ties say, Ginny will always be your sister. But she can't be your sister if you don't let her be._

 _Hermione, if I do this, that means Harry and Ginny can't get married. What am I supposed to tell Harry or Ginny? Neither of them might talk to me again._

 _Maybe not. But if you don't do this, there won't be a Ginny. And that can change everything. Think about how important Ginny is to the story of Harry. From the Chamber of Secrets to his fiancée, you will be depriving Harry of all those experiences and that could change the timeline._

 _Hermione, I really don't want to do this…_

 _I know, Ron. But you already know you're going to do it, aren't you? The timeline hasn't been affected which means that you will do this. I'm sorry, Ron. I wish there was another way_

 _Hermione, please…_

 _Hermione?_

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled as he pounded against the window. He heard the glass break as he gave a slight yelp in pain, having cut himself. Staring at the trickle of blood dripping down from his hand, Ron sighed once more before looking out the window as he began to reminisce about his fondest memory of his sister.

…

" _Ron?"_

 _Ron looked up from his bag which he had just packed his books. He could see ten-year-old Ginny Weasley staring at him with her brown eyes as she entered his room._

" _Ginny, what did we say about you entering my room?"_

" _Sorry," Ginny said as she took a step back. "Can I come in, Ron?"_

" _You may," Ron said as he gave his sister a curious look. "Are you okay, Ginny? Normally, you insult me before walking away whenever I say that."_

" _I just don't feel like fighting today."_

" _Okay," Ron said as he held up his new wand. "It looks new, doesn't it?" Ron said as he admired the wand._

" _Wish someone would give me a wand. I ask Percy but he just told me that it's against the rules." Ginny sighed as Ron laughed at her._

" _He's right. You can't have a wand yet. Not unless you go to school." Ron said as he threw himself on the bed. Ginny sat next to him, watching him as he played with his wand._

" _Ginny, do you think I'll get into Gryffindor?"_

" _Of course, you will. Everyone else has."_

" _And do you think I'll be on the Quidditch team?"_

" _Only if they're like really awful." Ginny sniggered as Ron playfully nudged her._

" _Do you think I'll make friends?" Ron sighed as he stared up at his ceiling which he and Ginny had spent last month painting Chudley Cannon figures. "I hope I can find like someone fun! Not like Percy, urgh. And not crazy like Fred and George either. Just someone like…Ginny…?"_

 _Ron turned to his sister who was looking away from her. Turning her around, Ron could see Ginny sniffing as her face was wet with tears._

" _Ginny, what's wrong?"_

" _Nothing."_

" _Tell me."_

" _No!"_

" _Ginevra!" Ron said cheekily, knowing how much Ginny hated that name. Instead of an angry reaction, Ginny did nothing as she turned around to press her face against the pillow._

" _Are you okay, Ginny?"_

" _No, you prat!" Ginny snapped as she glared angrily at him. "I'm angry at you."_

" _What did I do?"_

" _You just want to go, don't you? Just can't wait to leave us here while you're happy, making friends and practising your stupid magic with your stupid friends!" Ginny growled as she started to hit Ron though her hits were mere taps rather than powerful blows. Without hesitating, Ron scooped up his sister in his arms._

" _Ginny, I'm only going to be gone a year. I'll come back from Christmas and everything."_

" _But you're not going to be here with me!" Ginny said as she struggled to hit him._

" _Is that's what bothering you?" Ron asked as he grabbed her hands. "Ginny, you're my best friend. I'm not going to replace you. You 're my sister and I promise I will write to you every day. Then next year, we will be going to Hogwarts together!"_

" _What if I'm not in the same house? What if I go to…Slytherin?" Ginny gasped._

" _You won't go to Slytherin, Ginny!" Ron said as he laughed at the thought. "You're too good for Slytherin."_

" _You will write every day?" Ginny said as she wiped her tears. "You won't forget me."_

" _Never, Ginny. Like Dad said, we're family. I will always take care of you."_

" _You better not replace me with some other girl!" Ginny said crossly as she folded her arms. "No girlfriends until I come."_

" _Ewww, please!" Ron said as he made a face. "I don't even think I'll be friends with a girl."_

" _I'm going to miss you, Ron." Ginny spoke as she gave him a hug. Ron pulled his tiny sister into his arms as he held her tight. As he cradled his baby sister in his arms, only one thought came through his mind._

" _You will always be my girl, Ginny. And I'm always going to look out for you."_

" _You promise?" Ginny said as she stared at Ron with hopeful brown eyes._

" _Promise," Ron said as he gave her a smile. "What are older brothers for?"_

" _Good," Ginny said as she gave Ron a kiss on the cheek before running out of the room, screaming. "Mom! Ron says he will do my degnoming for me!"_

" _GINNY!" Ron yelled as he chased after her. "That's not what I meant!"_

"You okay, mate? That looks like a bad cut you got there."

The voice of someone speaking from behind him drew Ron away from his thoughts.

"No, it's okay. Just a minor cut, that's all." Ron said as he wiped the blood on the windowsill before turning around. "Thanks for you con…OH!"

Staring back at him, with his familiar red shade and blue eyes, was Arthur Weasley.

…..

"Sorry," Ron said as he stared at his father. Arthur looked almost as he did though he did look older with some strands of grey hair in his otherwise crimson top. He had a few wrinkles as well as a neatly trimmed short boxed beard. He also had a few more pounds on his sides but in spite of all that, Ron could see his young father staring back at him with concern. "I was just deep in thought."

"Need help with that cut?" Arthur said as he took out a bottle of Dittany. "I keep this on me at all times. Never know when an injury might happen."

"Thank you," Ron said gratefully as Arthur dabbed a few drops of Dittany on his cut which healed almost instantly. "I didn't catch your name."

"It's Arthur, Arthur Weasley," Arthur said with a smile on his face.

"Seamus Finnigan," Ron replied as he shook his father's hand. "You wouldn't happen to be the Arthur Weasley who works in the Ministry for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office?"

"Yes, that's me!" Arthur exclaimed as he beamed at Ron. "How did you know that?"

 _Shit,_ Ron thought as his mind raced to fabricate a backstory. "I'm an Auror in training. Just recently transferred. I'm from Ireland, originally. Just got back from the States."

"I see," Arthur said as he nodded, giving Ron a moment of relief. "Well, can't say you're back in the best of times but I'm glad to have another Auror in Britain. Merlin knows we need all the help we can get."

"Definitely. You-know-who can be a handful." Ron replied as he and his father started to walk down the corridor. "What brings you to St Mungo's, Arthur?"

"Just waiting for the birth of my seventh child."

"Seven?! Wow…that's…that's amazing."

"I know, I know." Arthur laughed. "It's a bit much but you know what they say, the more the merrier."

"Couldn't agree with you more!" Ron said as he laughed along. "Boy or girl?"

"Hoping it's a girl but whoever it is, I love him or her just the same," Arthur said as he shrugged his shoulders. "My wife doesn't want us to know. She really wants a girl. My wife is a determined woman, she is."

"Sure sounds like it," Ron said as he stared at his dad. He could see the joy on Arthur's face as he spoke about his kids. Little by little, Ron's walls started to crack.

"Seamus, are you okay?" Arthur asked as he stopped talking to look at Ron. Ron could feel tears forming around his eyes as he tried furiously to blink them away.

"Don't worry, Arthur. Just some issues."

"Would you like to talk about it? My wife says I'm an excellent listener."

"Thank you but it's okay," Ron said as he stared at Arthur. "Shouldn't you be getting back to her?"

"She's sedated according to the healer." Arthur sighed as he looked at Ron, sizing him up. "My baby has some type of magical critical condition. I won't know anything unless Healer Petrov lets me back in the room."

"I'm sorry to hear that. What kind of condition?"

"The very bad kind," Arthur said as he slumped down on a chair. "My wife is okay but they don't think my child is going to make it. My wife you see… because of this war…she's been a victim of Dark magic."

"That's horrible," Ron said as he gave Arthur a sympathetic look.

"Yes, it is." Arthur sighed as he buried his face in his hands. "But my wife, she's a strong woman. I hope that my daughter or I wish it was my daughter, can survive it. But if not, well, I don't what to do."

"You'll figure it out, Arthur," Ron said earnestly as he gave his father a comforting pat on his shoulder. "You seem like a good man."

"What about you, Seamus? What's your story?" Arthur asked as he turned to Ron. Ron gave a mirthless laugh as he sunk into the chair next to Arthur.

"My story is too far-fetched to be believed. Sometimes, I just feel like I've been doing this job for the longest time."

"I thought you were an Auror in training?"

"Here. Back in the States, I've been involved in quite a bit." Ron said hastily.

"You're a little too young to be so involved in so much," Arthur replied gently as he stared at Ron sympathetically.

"Well, believe it. I feel like I've been hunting monsters all my life to suddenly become one." Ron sighed.

"What's wrong, Seamus?" Arthur asked. "You can tell me."

"I don't know…"

"Give me a shot. I'm a stranger so you don't have to worry about bumping into me again if you don't want to." Arthur chuckled as he smiled at him. Ron looked at Arthur, wondering what his dad would really say if Ron were to tell him about Rose and Ginny. Yet, he needed guidance and who better than his dad? Ron contemplated for a moment before speaking.

"Arthur, what if you don't know what's the right thing to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's like this." Ron sighed as he stared at Arthur. "I got this unusual unsolved case back in America. Okay, it's kind of solved just for the last bit. There was this Dark wizard hunting down a boy and his sister. So they had to be separated."

"Why?" Arthur asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Because of security reasons. Anyways, I finally take down this wizard when I found out that the boy, having never met his sister, falls in love with her without knowing who she really is. And now, well, they're about to get married."

"Merlin's beard. That is a pickle." Arthur said as his eyes widened with realisation.

"I'm just here to double-check the information but my sources tell me that I'm accurate. So what do I do? Do I tell the boy? Do I keep it a secret?"

"Well, obviously you have to tell them right? I mean, if they were to have kids for instance…."

"Let's just say they have a condition that prevents any issues with regards to incest. Do I tell them?"

Arthur thought for a moment. "Wow, and I thought my life was complicated."

"Tell me about it. I have no freaking clue what to do." Ron sighed as he buried his head into his hands.

Arthur looked at Ron before patting him on the back. "Seamus, I don't know what to say but I do know this. Life is full of choices and it's easy when it comes to choosing between what's right and wrong. But the problem with life is that not all decisions are black and white. Sure, going against Death Eaters and You-know-who isn't easy but the choice to do so if one is morally upright is. Yet what you are facing here is a dilemma where both choices may be wrong and right. One is biologically and in the face of many faiths, wrong and should not be allowed and yet, if you kept mouth shut, two people would still be in love and isn't that the point? It's time like this where I would just turn to my heart and allow it to decide for me. The mind is good at deciding and thinking rationally but it's also a problem because we tend to overthink, convince ourselves to the point of hubris that we are right and even sometimes blind ourselves in the course of our beliefs. For the heart, sure, it might not be the right choice but at least, you'll know you can live with the consequences. So what does your heart say, Seamus Finnigan?"

"My heart?" Ron said as he turned towards Arthur who offered him a sympathetic smile. Before he could say a word, Petrov came bursting in front of them.

"I'm sorry but…er…we need you. Like right now."

"Okay, sorry Arthur, but I got to go," Ron said as he turned to shake Arthur's hand.

"Quite alright, I need to leave myself. Remember, Seamus." Arthur said as he got up to walk away. "Follow your heart."

Ron watched as his father departed down an adjacent corridor before turning to Petrov. "Thanks, Dad."

"So, are we doing this?" Petrov said as Ron stared at the blonde- haired wizard. Before he knew it, Ron pictured images of his younger sister in his head as a feeling of warmth overcame him. Without saying a word, Ron heaved a sigh before smiling at Petrov.

…

" _Congratulations once more!" Ivan Petrov said as he beamed down on the couple currently cooing over their newest member of the Weasley family. Ron smiled as he listened to the scene from the Extendable Ear he always carried with him. Beside him, Petrov gave Ron a smile as he listened as well._

" _Thank you so much, Healer Petrov. We owe you a great debt." Arthur said as Ivan laughed._

" _Nonsense! It's my job and trust me, nothing brings me more joy than to bring joy to my patients."_

" _Oh Arthur, look at her cute brown eyes. And look! She has red hair!"_

" _That's how I tell that she's mine, Molly!"_

" _Oh stop it, you!"_

" _Right, I will be outside. Do you wish for me to call your family?" Ivan asked._

" _I've sent them an Owl. Had to send them home just now when I feared for the worst but I'm glad to give them the good news!" Arthur laughed._

" _I will be right back. Give you all some time together." Ivan said as the door creaked open. Ron and Petrov sprung away as quickly as they could, so as not to be seen._

" _Dad, there's something we need to do first. It's about a letter." Petrov said to Ivan before looking at Ron. "Ron, let's go. Ron?"_

 _But Ron had not heard him. Instead, he was busy listening in to the sound of cheerful voices and the soft crying of his baby sister._

… _.._

.

.

.

"And so that's it, Minister. We went back to the Time Portal room where I used the Imperius Curse to send Boris to Godric's Hollow where Ron took care of the problem." Petrov said as Kingsley nodded while staring at Ron. Ron, however, was only half-listening as his eyes grew weary at the thoughts running through his head.

 _So what do I do now, Hermione?_

 _It's up to you, Ron. Like Arthur said, follow your heart._

 _But this is wrong, isn't it? Letting them stay together when I know they're related._

 _Is it wrong? Yes. But you heard what Petrov said. There will be no consequences. The only persons that will know the truth are you and Petrov._

 _So I should just let it be? Just keep the truth inside?_

 _It's up to you._

 _Bloody hell! You're not like my girlfriend at all._

 _Honestly, Ron! I'm just a figment of your imagination and can you please stop swearing._

"…I would also like to add that Auror Weasley behaved professionally and handled the whole matter as effectively and responsibly as he could." Petrov said. "I understand that the use of the Imperius Curse and the death of Boris might be subjected to investigation…"

"Under normal circumstances, yes." Kingsley interrupted as he gave Ron a look of concern. "But these are hardly normal circumstances. So how about we just let this be for now? I will still need a report, Petrov. Ronald, are you alright?"

"What…I…." Ron sputtered as he pulled himself away from his thoughts. "Sorry, Kingsley…I mean Minister…I'm just…tired, I guess."

"You look like you could use some time off," Kingsley said as he patted Ron on his shoulder. "Take a week. I'll talk to Robards for you."

"Thank you, Minister," Ron said as he and Petrov left Kingsley's office. Walking back towards the Auror Department, Petrov turned to Ron.

"So, what are you going to do?" Petrov asked.

"What do you mean? " Ron said before Petrov stopped him in his tracks.

"Ron…" Petrov sighed as he placed his hands into his pockets. "Are you going to tell Harry or Ginny?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Ron sighed as he pushed past Petrov. Petrov ran after, catching Ron in his long strides.

"Ron, if you need me for support about anything we went through, just ask, okay? I know this must have been really tough for you."

"You can say that again." Ron sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Or not. Maybe let's just forget about this whole thing."

"You sure?" Petrov asked with concern as he and Ron entered the office.

"I'm sure." Ron said as he gave Petrov a smile. "So guess that's it for our adventure, huh. No more time travel."

"Maybe not," Petrov said as he flashed a dangling time device in front of Ron. "It's Boris's one. While you were off in your own head, you might have missed the part where I said that Boris's time device was destroyed as well. Kingsley has the other one, of course."

"Wicked," Ron said as he smirked at Petrov. "Guess you can go visit your dad some more if you like."

Petrov shook his head. "No, time travelling to see my father is just too emotional for me. I get to say goodbye to him and that's all I ever want. I thought of giving this to you."

"Me?"

"Yes, you." Petrov smiled as he handed the device. "You've shown me how well you can handle time travel. With everything that's happened, I can think of no one better."

"I'm not sure if I want it." Ron sighed as he stared at the device in his hand.

"Well, then destroy it. But it's yours."

Ron opened his desk drawer before throwing the device in. Turning around, he could see Petrov smiling as he admired the pictures on his desk.

"You have a lovely family, Ron, and friends."

"Thank you," Ron said as he smiled at the pictures on his desk. "So what now? Back to the Department of Mysteries?"

"Maybe not," Petrov said thoughtfully as he gave Ron a smirk. "I might want to try new things. Maybe even be a healer. After all, I delivered a baby twenty years ago."

"Man, that's a long time. You sure you're ready to go back?" Ron said as he extended his hand.

"I think it's time," Petrov replied as he shook Ron's hand.

"Ron!"

The pair turned to see Harry approaching him. "I'm going to go to Bulgaria to give Boris back to his family. See you soon, Ronald Weasley."

"Right back at you," Ron said as Petrov walked away as soon as Harry reached.

"Who was that?" Harry asked.

"My contact for my case," Ron said.

"So when are you going?"

"Going?" Ron repeated before realising what time it was. "Oh, my case is over."

"Really?" Harry said, sounding surprised. "Because it's only been like a few hours. Or did Robards throw you off the case?"

"Trust me, Harry, it was more like twenty years to me." Ron laughed as he dropped to his seat. Ron looked up at Harry, realising just how remarkably similar he and James were.

"Ron?" Harry said, looking puzzled. "You okay, mate?"

"Yeah, just wondering," Ron said as he reached for his wallet and pull out the photograph of Ginny in makeup. "Harry, do you love my sister?"

"What?!" Harry said as he gave a confused laugh. "Ron, why are you asking me this?"

"Just answer me."

"Ron…"

"Mate, please."

Harry sighed as he pulled up a chair and sat next to Ron. "Ron, do you remember our sixth year? When I first started dating Ginny?"

"Not my finest year." Ron sighed.

"Well, back then besides the Horcruxes and me stalking Malfoy, I was going crazy thinking about Ginny. Not in that way, mind you but just thinking about dating her, asking her out. But there was this big problem in the way in the form of her loving but incredibly overprotective brother who happened to be my best friend. And trust me, Ron, the scariest thing that I ever had to face in my life and I've faced a few scary things like Voldemort, Death Eaters, Snape, but none came close to ever having to face you if you found out that I like your sister. But then it occurred to me that because I love her, it would be worth the risk. And despite being more scared than I ever was in my life, I asked Ginny out because my love for her would always be greater than anything in this world. Ron, I promise you that I will never, ever, even imagine hurting Ginny in any way and if I did, I know you'll come running. But it was worth the risk then and it's worth the risk now. I love Ginny, Ron, more than anything in this world because she's everything I ever want in a girl. She even has parts of you and Hermione in her, your sister. And there's nothing, nothing in this world that will keep me from ever loving Ginny Weasley."

"I have to go," Ron said abruptly as he stood up.

"What?!" Harry said as he nearly toppled over. "I just poured out my heart to you and you have to go? Go where?"

"The Burrow, you git," Ron said as he took out his wand. "I have to apologise."

"Was it my speech?" Harry said as Ron ran out of the office.

"You wish you were that persuasive, Potter!" Ron yelled as he left.

…

Ginny sat on her dressing table, sighing as she went through the wedding seating plan once more. Molly had invited Aunt Muriel as well as other relatives that made Ginny wish that she could just elope. At least Harry's side was easy to do, with only friends to invite. Before she could decide where to put Aunt Muriel so that she wouldn't have to face the obnoxious bird, the door to her room flew open as a familiar voice shouted out.

"GINNY, WHERE YOU AT?!"

"Ron!" Ginny yelled as the seating plan flew off her desk. "You prat!"

"Ginny, I…ARGHHH" Ron yelled as he covered his eyes upon seeing his sister. Ginny only had a white bra on along with her shorts as she glared at Ron. "Cover yourself up, woman!"

"Why should I? You're my brother, you idiot!"

"Just put on a top or something! You practically stuffing your bits in my face."

"Well, then, don't look at them!" Ginny roared as she covered herself with a white shirt. "Or better yet, get out of the room."

"No, not until I had a chance to speak," Ron said as he peeked between his fingers before putting his hands down.

"Well, if it's about our fight, then forget it! I'm not going to apologise just because you're being a baby."

"How was I a baby?" Ron retorted as he glared at his sister. "You're the one that keeps calling me an annoying prat even though you should be respecting me. You keep calling me names, taking the mickey out of me!"

"So?" Ginny fired back, glaring at her brother. "It's not like we've been doing this for…I don't know…all our life?!"

"Everyone treats me like I'm stupid, Ginny. Oh, Ron can't do this. Ron's going to overreact. Ron's just been an annoying prat. I get it from you. I get it from Harry and Hermione, heck from everyone. So just once why can't you just give in?" Ron snapped.

"Merlin, are you done with your pity fest? Because, unlike you, I actually have a wedding to prepare for."

"There you go again!"

"What do you want me to say?"

"You know what? Never mind." Ron sighed as he reached for the door. "I'm sorry for being a prat. I'm sorry for ruining your day. I'm just sorry, okay."

"Fine, I forgive you" Ginny sighed as her expression softened. "No, really, I guess I'm not the best person to live with, either."

Ron said nothing as he walked towards the door. Ginny sighed as she picked up her wedding seating plan before she heard Ron speak once more.

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

"Ron, we're good. I told you that…Ron?"

In all the years Ginny knew her brother, she had only seen him cry twice. The first was during Dumbledore's funeral where she recalled seeing her brother in tears and the other was, of course, when Fred died. Yet despite knowing that Ron had cried many times previously, the one thing her brother never did in his life was to cry _in front of her_. Seeing the tears cascade down Ron's face, Ginny felt a tug somewhere deep in her heart.

"Ron, it's okay," Ginny whispered as she approached her brother cautiously. She didn't really know what to say but Ginny knew what she should do. Because he was at least a foot higher than her, Ginny awkwardly wrapped her arms around him as she leaned her head against his chest. "Ron, Ron, please don't cry. You're going to make me cry." Ginny whimpered as the sight of her tearing brother made heart grow heavy. Ginny felt Ron's arms wrapped themselves around her as the two siblings stood in silence while embracing each other as strongly as they could.

….

"Sorry for all that," Ron spoke, breaking what seemed like an eternity of silence, as he pulled away. He sat on the foot of Ginny's bed as his sister sat next to him.

"It's okay. You don't have to apologise, Ron." Ginny replied as she smiled at him. "I've been a prat too. And you're right. I have been quite hard on you all these years, sometimes even a bit much. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," Ron said as he smiled back at his sister. "It's just this case I just ended. Took a lot out of me."

"I can see that." Ginny sighed. "Sometimes I wish you and Harry would find like other jobs. I don't like having to worry about both of you."

"You worry about me?"

"Of course I do, you prat. You're my favourite brother." Ginny laughed. "Trust me, Ron. If Hermione ever hurt you, I'm hunting her arse down, best friend or not. You're not the only one who's protective, you know."

"Speaking of Hermione." Ron said as he looked at Boris's wand, making a mental note to tell Hermione about purchasing a new one "You think she'll be okay if I…I don't know…find some other job?"

"Trust me, Ron, she'll be fine. In fact, I think she'll be very happy knowing you're safe. So will I." Ginny added.

"What's that?" Ron said as he pointed the seating plan.

"Ahh, I'm just trying to figure out where to seat everyone." Ginny sighed as she picked up the plan. "Can you believe how many relatives we have?! Makes me wish I was just like Harry for once."

 _You have no idea_ Ron thought as he gave a shaky laugh.

"You wouldn't happen to know where to seat Aunt Muriel, would you?" Ginny said as Ron shook his head. "There's just so much work to do."

"You'll get through it. Why don't you just pass this over to Hermione?"

"Because your girlfriend's already taking over most of the work, Ron," Ginny replied as she shook her head. "Believe me, you don't know how lucky you are. Or maybe not. Can't wait to see how you deal with Hermione on your wedding day."

"That be awhile." Ron laughed before sighing. "Can't believe you're getting married to Harry, Ginny."

"I know, right?" Ginny said as she smiled at him. "Every day, it feels like a dream and yet…."

Ron sat there staring at his sister as she talked about Harry. He stared at her red hair which only hours before was a peach fuzz and the brown eyes, so reminiscent of James. He stared at the girl who was laughing and smiling as she told him stories about her Harry's proposal to her. Ginny looked every bit of girl in love, finally having the boy of her dreams and deservedly so, after everything they had been through.

Ron knew it was wrong. He could feel every fiber in his brain screaming at him to tell Ginny the truth. Harry and Ginny would just have to understand. They might not believe him but a simple walk through his memories, not to mention Veritaserum should be enough to convince them. Harry might not speak to him for a while and Ginny, Ginny would probably avoid him at all costs but eventually they would all move past it and be married to different people. It wasn't like their love was forever. _Was it?_

"Ron?" Ginny said as she stared at him.

Almost at once, Ron saw his baby sister in makeup. He saw his baby sister begging for him to not forget her as he went to Hogwarts. He saw his baby sister waving goodbye as he rode the Hogwarts Express for the first time. He saw his baby sister through the rock gap he made as Harry pulled her from the Chamber of Secrets. He saw his baby sister as she kissed Dean Thomas and when she kissed Harry. All those memories, everything about Ginny were coming to him at a frantic pace. From her first curse word to the first time she rode a broom to the first time she came to him crying about a boy, Ron could remember everything he had ever experienced with his sister. No matter how far she went or how old she would get, she would always, always be his sister.

And older brothers took care of their baby sisters.

Almost at once, Ron could hear both Arthur and Hermione's voices speaking simultaneously inside his head.

" _Follow your heart."_

"Ron? Are you even listening to me?" Ginny said incredulously as she stared crossly at her brother.

"Were you talking about…the Chudley Cannons?"

"Urghhh, just when I think we were having a moment…"

"Ginny!" Ron said abruptly, cutting her off before she could rant at him. "Do you want to go for dinner? My treat." Ron said as he stood up and extended his hand.

"You want to bring me for dinner? I don't know…" Ginny said as she looked at her wedding plan.

"Come on, we can do the wedding plan when we're there. I help you." Ron said as Ginny beamed at him.

"You mean it?" Ginny said as she took her brother's hand.

"Yeah," Ron replied as he pulled Ginny to her feet. "We'll go to that Muggle café you're always talking about."

"Sure, just let me dress up a little," Ginny said as Ron headed for the door. "Do you want to ask Harry and Hermione to join us?"

"Nahhh" Ron said as he shook his head. "Let it be just us." Ron said as Ginny smiled widely at him before nodding her head.

…

"Ron, that really was a lovely speech," Hermione said as she danced with Ron on the wedding floor. The wedding ceremony had been nothing short of a success as the tent, used previously for Bill and Fleur, was decorated with an assortment of ribbons and flowers, white tables and chairs and glittering chandeliers. The mood was filled with cheers and boisterous laughter as the magical community celebrated the marriage of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Hermione had been in tears as she watched her two best friends get married although her boyfriend seemed to be a little off tonight. Nudging him slightly, Ron stared back at her as he jolted out of his thoughts.

"What, in Merlin's name, is on your mind, Ronald Weasley?"

"Nothing," Ron said hastily as he stared into the crowd. "Just wondering…"

"What about?" Hermione said, sounding concerned. She and Ron had always talked about his missions when he was an Auror but something about his last case had left Ron more of a mess than he cared to talk about. "Is it about your last case?"

"No!" Ron snapped before throwing Hermione an apologetic look. "Sorry, I was just thinking…about Aunt Muriel?"

"You were thinking about Aunt Muriel?" Hermione said as she raised her eyebrow.

"Yes, I have a theory…that…er….Aunt Muriel is a Horcrux."

"A what?!"

"Think about it, Mione! She's like super old and she makes everyone who comes into contact with her miserable and dead inside."

"Ronald, she IS your aunt!"

"Whom I will gladly sacrifice to save the world."

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione giggled as Ron wrapped himself around her. "You should really just work at the joke shop. Did Robards take it well?"

"I think he's just upset that with me gone, he'll see less of you at the office," Ron grumbled as Hermione gave him a kiss on the cheek before nudging his shoulder. "I think Harry needs us."

Ron turned to see Harry surrounded by a sea of redheads, laughing politely at their jokes while shooting desperate glances at their direction. Ron snickered as he shook his head. "It's okay, Hermione. Harry just needs time to adjust to being a Weasley."

"Doesn't sound too bad to me," Hermione whispered into his ear as Ron turned back to press his lips gently onto hers.

…

 _Come on, Ron! Don't be a prat!_ Harry thought desperately as he laughed and nodded as another one of Ginny's family started asking questions about his battle with Voldemort. Luckily for him, an angel in red appeared to steal him away.

"I just need a moment with my son in law!" Arthur cried as he dragged Harry away from the guests.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley." Harry sighed in relief as Arthur led him to two chairs and handed him a Butterbeer. "I just really need some time away."

"Think nothing of it, Harry," Arthur laughed as he motioned across the tent. Harry turned to see Ginny giggling together with Luna Lovegood and Parvati Patil. His heart leapt at seeing his redhead wife turn to smile at him. Harry couldn't believe it. He was actually married to Ginny Weasley.

"She's my little girl, Harry. Can't believe she's your wife now." Arthur sighed as Harry waved at Ginny who waved back. "Can't believe how much she's grown up."

"She's always going to be your little girl," Harry said sincerely as he turned to face his father in law, offering a comforting smile. "I'm always going to make her happy."

"That's good, Harry. You know… it's important to keep the promises you make to your wife." Arthur said as he sighed while staring at Ginny. "I remember when Molly was about to give birth to Ginny, there were a few complications."

"What kind of complications?"

"The kind one gets when exposed to Dark Magic. Molly and I have it because of the war, the things we had to endure. When Ginny was born, she had this magical condition called _Magicae Ablatione_. It translates to the disappearance of magic. Basically, when Ginny was born, her body started to phase between reality and non-existence as the magic forces in her fought against the Dark residue. She very nearly died, Harry."

"That sounds horrible!" Harry remarked as he stared at Ginny who was laughing at something Hermione said. He couldn't even contemplate a life without her.

"Luckily for us, our Healer managed to save her. But remember what I said about promises, Harry? I promise my wife that I would always be by her side no matter what and though she was asleep, I wanted to stay in the room. But the Healer wouldn't allow me to. Something about the possibility of myself being exposed to Dark magic. But Molly had told me before they sedated her to keep an eye for Ginny. I promised her I would."

"So what did you do?" Harry asked as he looked at Arthur expectantly. Arthur turned his attention away from Ginny as he gazed at his wife who was locked in a conversation with Andromeda Tonks. Harry could see Arthur's lips turn up slightly as he smiled at the sight of his beloved wife.

"I had a promise to keep, Harry, and so I stayed," Arthur replied as he turned to face Harry. "I never left the room."

…

 **A/N: I knew it was only a matter of time before someone guessed how the story is going to go although it's not done yet so for those of you, who might be turned off by the subject matter, do not fret.**

 **I took a risk choosing 10** **th** **August as a date despite it being just a day before Ginny's birthday but there really was no other way. I thought of another random date and making Ron and Petrov time jump with a faulty device but since, this is just a short story and it wouldn't make sense as the time device had been working perfectly, I figured I would just take the risk. Kudos to those who guessed that.**

 **For those of you thinking that Harry and Ginny are related, well, just read the last part again. Everything will be explained soon. Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Don't worry if you're confused at this point. Time travel stories tend to do that especially when there are still loops to be closed. Just remember that at this point, the HP timeline is singular which means that you can't go back and affect the past unless it has already happened.**

 **I would like to take this time to refer to one of my beloved reviewers who mentioned why I didn't put a pairing of Ron and Hermione in my summary even though there is Romione in the fic. First of all, that is a valid question and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to clarify.**

 **The reason I started writing this fanfic back in the day is that it came during a time of very strong Ron bashing to the point that it disgusted me even though I am a Dramione fan. I can understand if people dislike certain characters, like how some dislike Dumbledore, but to completely rip apart a character for the sake of a story has never been my cup of tea. Tell me if this sounds familiar. You have two characters who have some sort of contrived sexual tension about them but they're in separate relationships. So in order to put them together, you paint their partners as having irredeemable flaws so that you can put these characters together while still preserving the positive image of their characters so even if those characters were to cheat to get together, it's fine. Romance stories have done this for years and quite frankly, it pisses me off.**

 **Ron always seems to get the bulk of it whenever it comes to people wanting to pair Hermione with other people which is the main, but not only, reason he gets bashed. Not to mention, they just don't like Ron. As a Dramione fan who loves stories that portray Ron in his good light rather than just bash him for a story, I couldn't stand it.**

 **I know that Romione is the canon couple and I respect it but honestly, I feel that sometimes pairing two characters out of the main trio together just gets in the way of showing how important each individual character is. But this is just me so don't flame me for it. Anyways, to answer the question, I wanted the focus to be on Ron hence why no pairing. H/G is because, as you read the story, you realise their whole relationship is what the plot builds on.**

 **But at the end of the day, please don't take anything to heart. This really is just my opinion and to be honest, I never had much problem with stories that have bashing because most of these writers actually highlight that in their summaries and I respect that a lot. Thanks for staying till the end. Love you guys. And as always,**

 **Leave a review if you can: )**

 **Disclaimer: I believe HP belongs to JK Rowling**

 **Ron's Last Case: The Prestige (Part Two)**

 _"I mark the hours, every one, Nor have I yet outrun the Sun. My use and value, unto you, Are gauged by what you have to do."_

 _2005_

Ron slumped in his chair as Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. The past few years had been quite eventful with Harry getting married to Ginny and himself getting married to Hermione. Hermione was rising fast in the Ministry, with some even saying that she might attain a seat on the Wizengamot. Harry was in line to take over Robards in a few years, fast becoming one of the best Aurors that the department ever had while Ginny's fame grew in stock with her role as lead chaser on the Holyhead Harpies. All three of them were rising in their respective careers, garnering fame and lifestyle that each truly deserved after all they had been through.

And then, there was him.

Ron smiled at the thought of his first year when he peered into the Mirror of Erised. How badly he wanted to be acknowledged, to ascertain dream roles that he truly desired back then. However, as the years went by, Ron no longer harboured dreams of becoming Head Boy, Quidditch Captain or even Head Auror. Fame was a price he no longer desired as the days of hunting serial killers and dark psychopaths were long behind him. All Ron desired now was the quiet life, doing something that brought joy to others. The joke shop which boomed in business under the twins was now flourishing under his and George's leadership although the latter still tested new products on Ron. Yet Ron couldn't complain. He had everything he truly needed from the girl of his dreams, having great friends and family and a well-established job. If he was being honest, there was one last thing he wanted.

 _Maybe two_ Ron mused as his mind fled to Fiji. Hermione had wanted to go to Paris for their honeymoon and Ron had complied due to his desire to make love to his wife. Their relationship had gotten rather physical over the course of two to three years, culminating in their appearance at St Mungo's today.

"I hope we get someone experienced," Hermione said as her words jolted Ron out of his thoughts. Ron said nothing for the moment as he kissed his wife's forehead while placing his hand on her stomach.

"You know, we could find a broom closet while waiting…"

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione said crossly though Ron could see that she was smiling. "It's precisely that kind of attitude that got us here!"

"For the last time, I thought _you_ did the charm!" Ron replied. "How was I to know?"

"Because I was taking a shower and I didn't have my wand," Hermione said.

"Hey, are you like…I mean…I know we talked about this but do you like…have second thoughts?" Ron asked as Hermione stared intently at him before her face softened.

"No," Hermione replied as she gave Ron a kiss. "I admit it was a surprise but it's the best kind of surprise."

"Better than the time I came into your office with nothing but whipped cream on me?" Ron said as Hermione blushed red before muttering something.

"Well, if it isn't Ronald Bilius Weasley. And you must be Hermione Granger!"

Ron and Hermione turned at the sound of the voice with Ron gasping in shock. In front of him stood Lukas Petrov, in his Healer robes, as he beamed down at the pair.

"Petrov!" Ron said as he stood up to shake his friends' hand. "How long has it been, mate?"

"Too long." Lukas laughed as he shook Hermione's hand as well. "Ever since our last collaboration, I left to do my Healer training and well, I got posted here about six months ago. Once I saw your names looking for a healer, I knew I had to do it."

"Oh, I see," Hermione said as she smiled at Petrov. "Sorry, how do you know my husband again?"

"I used to work at the Ministry. The Department of Mysteries." Petrov replied.

"I helped him on a case," Ron added as Hermione looked at him with curiosity. "What?"

"You never mentioned a Petrov before. I wonder…does this have to do with your last case? The one you won't talk about?" Hermione asked as she switched her gaze from Ron to Petrov.

"Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss that. Nor can I. It's been classified and I was an Unspeakable." Petrov replied as Hermione looked slightly disappointed.

"So, Petrov, what are we looking at?" Ron said, hoping to get back on track. Petrov smiled before leading them into his office.

"Ron, I know he's your friend and all but if he had his Healer training when he last saw you, can we really count on his expertise?" Hermione whispered as she and Ron entered the office.

"Trust me, Hermione," Ron said as he reassured his wife. "Petrov has been doing this for quite some time."

…..

"Ron and…Miss Granger-Weasley,"

"Please, call me Hermione."

"Very well. Hermione." Petrov said as he looked at her file. "Good news is that the Pregnancy Charm you performed is accurate. In less than nine months, you will give birth to a beautiful child. In about fourteen weeks, we would be able to perform the charm to determine the gender of your child, though you may choose to do it yourself…"

"We rather not," Hermione said as she smiled at Ron while gripping his hand. "We want to be surprised."

"I see," Petrov said as he gave Ron a knowing glance while the latter merely smirked at him. "Of course, that is up to you. I would like to add that, with your faith in choosing me as a Healer, I have made you my number one priority and you will have me at your beck and call. It's the least I can do for what your husband has done for me in the past."

"Which is...?" Hermione said, hoping to get a response.

"Hermione," Ron whispered as he shook his head.

"However, there is something I do need to bring to your attention," Petrov replied, ignoring Hermione's question as his tone took on a more serious nature. Ron could the mood shift in the room as Petrov sighed before clearing his throat.

"Hermione, I know that this question may be redundant given who you are, but have you been exposed to Dark Magic in the past? Particularly the Cruciatus curse?"

Ron felt a lump in his throat as he turned to look at Hermione, her expression a mixture of fear and anxiety. Hermione nodded as Ron squeezed her hand affectionately.

"She has," Ron said before looking at Hermione for her approval. "Hermione was exposed to that curse and more under the torture of Bellatrix Lestrange," Ron said as he spat out his final two words.

Petrov nodded as he put the file aside. "Ron, Hermione, the reason I'm asking this is that I want to be honest with you at all times. The exposure of magic that Dark can have implications on the pregnancy. Hermione, have you heard of _Magicae Ablatione_?"

"Yes, I'm quite familiar with it," Hermione replied as Ron felt a shiver down his spine.

"I see," Petrov said gently as he stared at the pair. "Now, because of your exposure, there is a high possibility that this condition may arise during the birth of your child. There are two ways to deal with it. The first way is by using a series of spells known as Puer Remedium. This spells can only be done after the birth of your child where I would use them to ensure that your baby reaches a safe, physical stage with you, Hermione, sedated so that I may draw from your pure energy. It isn't guaranteed to work but it has a reasonable success rate. However, because the spell requires a connection with the mother, sometimes a mother's magical force isn't strong enough to hold the baby and in together with the baby ceasing to exist, the mother could lose her life as well. It is a risky move to make but one that many couples choose to take over the other method."

"What's the other method?" Hermione asked as she squeezed Ron's hand harder.

"The other is a spell known as Corporis Pura Incantatem. This spell is designed to remove all Dark Residue from your system and is specifically only for pregnant witches. The spell can be performed at any time during your pregnancy, even after your child is born, although it is recommended to be done at least three months towards the end. The benefit of this spell is that it will increase the chances for successful subsequent pregnancies."

"Hold on, what do you mean by subsequent?" Hermione asked.

"Well…" Petrov sighed. "Dark magic residue cannot be removed from the system without a physical host to go to, regardless of what stage the host is. The spell basically takes all dark residue found in your system and transfers it to your baby from which your baby will become a vessel for the dark magic to be destroyed."

"Which kills the baby!" Hermione exclaimed in horror. "How could a person even contemplate doing that? It's like a horrific form of abortion."

"It's what some choose to do to ensure the safety of the wife," Petrov replied grimly. "Of course, we are all basing this on the context that the Dark magic in your system will affect your pregnancy which may not be the case but I believe in being prepared for all outcomes. I would like to add as well, that anything I do will be done only with your approval and nothing else."

"Petrov, could you give us a moment?" Ron asked as Petrov nodded before leaving the office. "Hermione, are you okay?"

"No, Ron!" Hermione snapped as she glared at him with tears. "I am most certainly not okay. Didn't you hear what your friend said?"

"Yes, every word." Ron sighed. "But he also said that this might not happen…"

"It's us, Ron. It's going to happen. I could lose our baby, Ron!" Hermione cried as Ron pulled her into a hug.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione," Ron said as Hermione buried her face into his chest. "I'm going to be here for you all the way."

"Ron..." Hermione said as she stared up at him.

"Yes, dear?"

"Ever since I realised I was pregnant, all I ever wanted to be was a mother," Hermione whispered as Ron brushed her brown curls off her forehead. "I meant what I said. This is the best surprise I could ever have and I want to us to have a child, Ron, more than anything. So I want you to make me a promise, okay?"

"Of course."

"Promise me that no matter what happens, you will do whatever it takes to have a child in my arms when the day comes. Promise me, Ronald Weasley." Hermione said as Ron stared into her pleading eyes. Nodding his head, Ron pulled Hermione into a hug as his heart sank in his chest.

….

 _Months later_

"Ron, it's going to be okay."

"You don't know that, Harry."

"I know that Hermione is strong enough to beat anything, Ron," Harry said as he placed a comforting hand on his best friend's back. Ron's face was wracked with worry as he sank into his seat outside the ward where Petrov was working on Hermione. The curtains were drawn and Petrov had placed a Silencing Charm on the room so as not to worry anyone on the outside. Their baby had indeed suffered the cursed affliction and now Ron, who Petrov had sent out as soon as their baby girl was delivered, was beating himself up once more.

 _What if something happens to Hermione_ Ron thought as he tried his best to push all the horrific possibilities out of his mind. The door to Hermione's ward swung open.

"Ron?" Petrov called out as Ron nodded before entering in.

The first thing Ron laid his eyes on was Hermione. He stared at his wife whose face was buried under her massive brown curls as she slept on the bed, her chest rising and falling as Ron walked over to her. Smiling down at Hermione, Ron leaned over to give her a kiss on her forehead.

"Ron?" Petrov spoke once again, his tone laced with sadness. As Ron turned to face him, he knew instantly what had happened. Petrov's face said it all as the wizard brushed against his blonde hair with his grey eyes brimming with tears. A nod towards the empty cot that had been placed next to Hermione had Ron staggering on his feet as he felt his knees buckling as he approached the cot. Inside the cot laid a Chudley Cannons blanket that was tainted with a dark mark, almost like a burn, right in its centre.

"I tried everything I could, Ron." Petrov sighed as he averted his gaze away from the cot. "But the baby was absorbing too much of Hermione's energy and even if it succeeded in taking it away, it would have succumbed to the dark residue in its system. So I broke the connection."

"Does...my wife…still have dark energy… inside of her?" Ron stammered as he felt his entire world crashing down around him.

"No." Petrov sighed as he stared at Ron. "When I broke the connection, I wanted to go get you but there wasn't even time as Hermione's lifeforce was nearly critical. I made a call and I transferred the Dark residue to the baby. I'm sorry, I did promise you that I…"

"It's okay," Ron replied, his voice neither angry nor sad. Ron knew all too well, being an Auror and a member of the Golden Trio, the importance of making such decisions in times of crisis. He could not fault Petrov one bit. Instead, Ron felt a strange but overwhelming feeling of numbness. He could feel his entire body shutting down as Ron turned to face Hermione.

 _What am I going to tell her? That I couldn't keep the promise?_

With a nod towards Petrov, Ron staggered towards the door. As he touched the handle, Ron was reminded of the people outside and how each and every one of his family members and friends were expecting to see him with a baby. Deciding that he needed some time to deal with it first, Ron turned towards Petrov.

"Petrov, don't tell anyone, nor even Hermione. Not yet." Ron said before putting on a brave face and pushing the door open.

…

"Harry, where are Hermione's parents?" Ron asked, as soon as he stepped out of the room.

"Your mother took them to the cafeteria. How are they?" Harry asked as Ron gave a shrug.

"Still no change. Petrov is working on them. He just wanted to give me an update." Ron replied as Harry nodded. Both he and Ron sat down on their seats as Harry placed a reassuring arm around his best friend.

"They'll be alright," Harry said in a gentle voice as a slightly pregnant Ginny approached the pair.

"I've sent James back to the house. Andromeda's watching over him." Ginny said as she gave her husband a kiss before sitting next to Ron.

"You don't have to be here, Ginny. You need rest." Ron said as he eyed her baby bump. Ginny smiled before placing her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere, none of us are. We all want to be here to welcome Rita Granger-Weasley to our family."

"Merlin, Ron, please don't name your child that," Harry said as he made a face. Ron gave a mirthless laugh before patting them both on their knees.

"I'm going to find Dad. Do you know where he is, Ginny?" Ron asked.

"He's somewhere on the third corridor. Said something about how this whole situation is familiar to him." Ginny replied as Ron nodded. He knew exactly what his dad meant. Thanking them both, Ron departed leaving both Harry and Ginny to watch Hermione's room.

"Is he okay?" Ginny asked as she stared with concern at her brother's retreating figure.

"His Healer just gave him an update. Still no change in the situation." Harry sighed.

"Must be killing him not to know what's happening," Ginny replied as Harry nodded.

…

Ron stopped in his tracks as soon as his eyes met with a familiar window. Recalling the night he cut his hand, punching the glass, Ron sighed as he thought of how ironic that he would find himself in the same situation as the one he faked years ago. As he approached the window, he could see a familiar wizard standing next to it.

"Hey, dad," Ron said as Arthur turned to face him.

"Ronald! How's Hermione? Is everything okay?"

"Still the same, dad," Ron said as Arthur gave his son a hug. "Just wanted to see how you're coping since Mum is busy with the Grangers."

"I'm fine, son," Arthur said as he gave Ron a smile. "Don't worry about your old man."

Ron took a moment to stare at his father. Over the years, especially after the war, Ron had been elated at the recognition he had received from his fellow wizards and witches for all his efforts. His job as an Auror had elevated his fame and Ron receive many compliments over the years. Yet of all the compliments, the one he was most proud of, other than the Chocolate Frog bearing his name, was the comparison to his father.

Arthur Weasley was a hero in his son's eyes. Ron often thought of how similar their lives were when he compared them. From being married to strong-willed and driven witches to wanting a simple job where they both enjoyed, Arthur was quite the wizard to be admired. His father had often been the brunt of jokes from other wizards and was even pranked many times by Ron's late uncles, Fabian, and Gideon, who loved to take the mickey out of Arthur. Despite everything, Arthur stayed true to who he was and was now the patriarch of a very loving and devoted Weasley family.

 _So how do I tell my dad about my dead baby_ Ron thought sadly as Arthur noted the look of pain on his son's face.

"Son, is everything alright?" Arthur asked as Ron merely shook his head, not wanting to lie to his father if he could help it. Then again, Ron couldn't bring himself to be the bearer of bad news.

"Dad, I don't know what to do." Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I made a promise to Hermione that I would try to bring a child into her arms but it doesn't look good. I mean, on one hand, I could lose both Hermione and the baby but on the other hand, if I ask Petrov to do that Corporis spell, we would lose our child but Hermione would be safe. How am I supposed to choose between the two?" Ron said, trying his best to steer something into the conversation.

"Ronald," Arthur said as he led them to a pair of seats. "I don't know what to say but I do know this. Life is full of choices and it's easy when it comes to choosing between what's right and wrong. But the problem with life is that not all decisions are black and white. Sure, going against Death Eaters and You-know-who isn't easy but the choice to do so if one is morally upright is. Yet what you are facing here is a dilemma where both choices may be wrong and right. One is morally and in the face of many faiths, wrong and should not be allowed and yet you have a duty towards your wife's safety. It's time like this where I would just turn to my heart and allow it to decide for me. The mind is good at deciding and thinking rationally but it's also a problem because we tend to overthink, convince ourselves to the point of hubris that we are right and even sometimes blind ourselves in the course of our beliefs. For the heart, sure, it might not be the right choice but at least, you'll know you can live with the consequences. So, son, what does your heart say?"

 _That this is all dejavu_ Ron thought as he nodded along with his father's words. "Well, I did make a promise to Hermione to allow her to have a child. Guess, I should just put my faith in my healer's abilities."

"Well, if that is what your heart tells you." Arthur smiled as he patted his son on his back. "Speaking of which, why are you here and not in the room?"

"St Mungo's policy, Dad," Ron replied. "Can't be in the room when the Healer is performing spells."

"Policy shmolicy." Arthur laughed. "When your mother was undergoing the same thing, I insisted on staying in the room. Just like you, I intend on keeping my promises."

"But surely you didn't stay all the way." Ron sighed, knowing full well that his father didn't.

"I sure did," Arthur replied to a thunderstruck Ron. "Merryweather was an old family friend. He allowed me to stay and I never left the room."

"Merryweather?" Ron asked as he tried to process what he had just heard.

"Our healer's name was Gareth Merryweather, Ron," Arthur replied as Ron continued to look more and more confused. "He passed away years ago but back in the day, he was the one who delivered all seven of you."

"Dad, are you sure that your healer's name wasn't Ivan Petrov?" Ron said as Arthur looked at him strangely.

"Petrov? You mean like your healer's name? Nope, it was most definitely Gareth." Arthur replied as a million thoughts rushed through his head "I remember that I was in room 266. It's the same room that we requested for all your births."

"Dad…" Ron said, his voice sounding slightly frantic. "You didn't meet anyone here like twenty-four years ago? This window. In this corridor, talking to a stranger, telling him that speech that you just told me?!" Ron said as he pointed to the window and the corridor.

"Ron, are you sure you're okay?" Arthur asked, sounding concerned.

"Dad!"

"No, son. I heard that speech from my dad and I've never told anyone but you."

 _It can't be! I was here, I talked to my dad!_ Ron thought as he stood up, his head spinning with thoughts.

 _If my dad was in a different room with a different healer, how could I recall us giving her Ginny? It's just not possible. Not unless…._

As the thought entered his head, Ron spied at himself in the glass window of a ward opposite him and his father. Something was nagging at the back of his head, like pieces of a puzzle wanting to fit. It was then that Ron was struck with an unusual thought though the more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. _Maybe there is a_ _way_ _I can keep my promise to Hermione!_ Ron thought as he stood away from his seat.

"I have to go, Dad!" Ron called out before apparating on the spot.

"RON!" Arthur called out at the space where his son stood only moments before.

…..

"Harry!" Ron called out as Harry looked at his best friend rushing towards him while carrying what looked like his Invisibility Cloak as well as a shiny bracelet. "I need your help."

"Is that my…" Harry said as he reached for the cloak only for Ron to pull it away from him.

"I need it. I found a way to help Hermione." Ron panted as he stood in front of the door. "But I need your help."

"Anything." Harry nodded, noticing the look of determination on his friend. Harry wanted to ask more but the look on Ron's face was clear. This was a moment of trust, not clarity and Harry trusted Ron's judgment more than anything.

"Guard this door with your life. Do not let anyone, and I mean, anyone enter the room. Not even anyone from our family, our friends, healers, _anyone_. Do that for me, Harry."

"Of course, Ron," Harry replied. "But whatever you're going to do inside, I want to help."

"I know you do, mate," Ron said as he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "But right now, I need you to trust me and do this thing for me. Remember, no one goes inside, not even you or Ginny, okay? Please, Harry. Trust me."

"Okay," Harry said as he nodded. Ron gave a grateful nod before entering the room.

"Ron!" Petrov said as Ron came across the exhausted form of his friend. "I placed Hermione under another Sleeping Charm. She was about to wake up but I thought it best to let her rest more. The spell took a lot out of her."

"Thank you, Petrov, for everything," Ron replied as he gave his wife a kiss.

"I wish I could do more." Petrov sighed as Ron turned to face him.

"Maybe you can," Ron said as he handed him a file. Petrov noticed the St Mungo's logo on it.

"Petrov, my dad says that his healer back then was Gareth Merryweather," Ron explained as he opened the file and pointed to a sheet of parchment. "I went to check the records and yes, that was the healer for my family. He was in room 266, not 237 like he said. Furthermore, my dad told me that he never left the room."

"That's impossible!" Petrov said as he stared blankly at the parchment. "We were there, Ron!"

"I know that," Ron said as he passed the parchment to Petrov. "I've been thinking, what if we were wrong about the singular timeline? What if we were actually in an alternate timeline and just didn't know it?"

"How does that make any sense?" Petrov remarked as he considered Ron's words. "We did everything to ensure that it was a singular timeline, Ron. Boris, the Potters…"

"Yes, our mission!" Ron interjected. "But Rose was never part of the original mission. Rose was an abnormality that we encountered and in order to keep it to a singular timeline, we gave her to my parents. But what if the device had sent us to two different timelines? What if in one timeline, Ginny was actually Ginny and Rose never existed while in the other, Ginny never existed but Rose did and we gave her to the Weasleys?"

"Ron, I think the events of today have gotten into your head. There really is only ONE timeline!"

"Then explain how come we met my dad outside the corridor when he said he never left the room? Or how come the St Mungo officials told us that your father was in charge of the Weasleys?! Or that we both saw your father hand Rose over to my parents?!" Ron snapped as he removed a shiny bracelet from his robes. Petrov's stomach gave a lurch as Ron handed him the time device.

"All I know is all our answers are in 1981. We have to go back." Ron said firmly as he glared at Petrov.

"Ron, listen to me." Petrov reasoned as he tried to calm his friend. "I know that you're upset but going back to the past will not fix things. I don't know why we experienced what we did nor do I know why your dad and these records will perpetuate such a story we both know isn't true but I do know that there going back will not bring you peace."

"Actually it will." Ron sighed as he stared at Petrov. "My wife needs a child. And we had one with no place to go."

"You can't be serious!" Petrov cried. "That's your sister!"

"Is it?" Ron asked grimly. "Because my dad says otherwise."

"Even if you're right, we gave Rose to the Weasleys in whatever timeline that is," Petrov said. "How do you suppose we get her back? Surely you're not thinking of charming them to hand her over now, do you?"

"No, of course not." Ron sighed as he saw the meaning behind Petrov's words. Ron had taken the loss of his daughter far more badly than he anticipated. The thought that Rose might not be Ginny had given him some hope and yet, there were so many unanswered questions. Calming himself down, Ron placed a hand on Petrov's shoulder.

"Petrov, bring us back to 11th August 1981. The day we first came to St Mungo's." Ron said, raising his other hand as Petrov looked ready to protest. "We're not going to change anything, I promise. Rather let's just go to room 266 and observe. That way, we would be able to ascertain what is happening. If anything, this mission is a welcome distraction." Ron replied as Petrov stared at him for the longest time before nodding.

"This is strictly just to get answers and observe, right?" Petrov said as Ron threw the Invisibility Cloak over them. Petrov had led them to a corner of the room so as not to disturb whatever used to be at their spot twenty-four years ago.

"Trust me," Ron said as he gave Petrov a half-hearted smile. "We're not going to change anything."

…..

 _1981_

"We're here," Petrov said as he and Ron lifted the Cloak as soon as the bright light vanished. The room was empty and it looked exactly the same as it did in the future though Ron noted that the walls, as well as other furnishings, look newer.

"Let's go to room 266," Ron said as he peered into the hallway. There was no one in sight though Ron could hear voices coming from other corridors. Throwing the cloak onto both of them, Ron and Petrov snuck out into the corridor and made their way towards the lifts. Rounding around an adjacent corridor, they were met with a speeding witch pushing a carriage.

CRASH!

"Owww!" Ron whispered as he and Petrov moved away from the overturned carriage where all the folders and files were strewn on the floor along with the witch. Cursing under her breath, the witch started to pick up the files as Petrov tried to drag Ron away. As Ron snuck a glance on the witch's face, Ron gasped in shock as he nudged Petrov.

"It's Sandra!" Ron whispered as Petrov's eyes started to widen.

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Sandra sighed as she continued to pick up files. Ron felt himself being dragged to the side as an unusual sight descended upon Sandra. Ron could see Petrov from the past coming over to help her while he stood behind Petrov holding Rose in his arms.

"Oh, thank you so much," Sandra replied. "I don't how it could have overturned. One minute I was pushing this carriage, the next thing I know is that I hit something and everything fell on the floor ."

"Petrov!" Ron whispered as he nudged Petrov while pointing to something at their feet. "It's Sandra's clipboard."

Picking up the clipboard and walking out of earshot, Ron flipped through it before pointing triumphantly on a piece of parchment. "Look! It says here, Weasley under Merryweather, room 266! My dad was right! Huh, Ginny suffered from the same critical condition as well. I'll be damned. And look!" Ron said as he pointed to something else on the parchment.

"Your dad is in room 237! But the couple he's dealing with are not my parents." Ron said as he handed the clipboard to Petrov.

"But how can he be?!" Petrov replied as he glared at the clipboard while scratching his head. "Sandra said he was with my father! It doesn't make sense! None of it makes any sense!" Petrov sighed as Ron stared at the wizard before looking at the bracelet that Petrov had placed on his wrist. Something about the device stood out at him as Ron stared intently at it. A golden bracelet that wrapped itself around Petrov's wrist in a perfect loop.

"A perfect loop," Ron whispered under his breath as he recalled something Petrov once told him.

 _The thing about time is that you have to close all the loops_

Ron's eyes started to widen as a series of thoughts entered his head, each fitting perfectly like pieces of a puzzle. It was all starting to come together, to make sense as Ron walked through his memories.

" _Time travellers do not question why something happens or try to understand where it starts. Like the circle, there is no beginning and no end. Just a closed loop. The question I posed to you about the egg is one in which you need to understand that your purpose isn't to question why the egg dropped or whether you can stop it but to just travel back in time, make the same sound and wait for your past self to go through the second door before he travels back, thereby completing the loop."_

" _You know, the Imperius Curse was a specialty of Lukas. He was the best at it. Lukas could Imperiused you without you even knowing about it."_

" _Because before I leave here, I will modify your memories. So that you don't remember all of this…"_

"… _Must be a wizard thing. Mom always says I look more and more like Dad every day."_

… _.._

"THAT'S IT!" Ron gasped loudly as he pointed his wand onto the parchment. Petrov's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets as he stared at what Ron was doing.

"Ron, what are you doing?!" Petrov whispered as Ron dragged him back to where they were. Flicking his right hand deftly, Ron threw the clipboard as gently as he could as Petrov watched it tap the right shoe of Ron's past self.

"Petrov, listen to me. You were right! There is only ONE timeline!" Ron whispered as he stared at the conversation between their past selves and Sandra. "I figure out a way to maintain the timeline as well as get a baby for Hermione!"

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about?!"

"You said it yourself that you can't alter the past unless it has already been altered. That is the basis of a singular timeline. Well, in this case, the reason we thought my parents were with your dad is because we, us from right now, manipulated our past selves into thinking so."

"But why would we do that?" Petrov asked, clearly confused.

"Because we need to complete the loop!" Ron said as they watched Sandra's colleague approached the past trio. "Petrov, Ginny, and Rose _aren't_ the same people! It was just a coincidence, partly manipulated by us."

"Wait a minute…" Petrov said as Ron watched him trying to make sense of his words. Turning his attention back to their past selves, Ron could see Sandra's colleague explaining to them about _Magicae Ablatione._ It felt weird, seeing his past self standing no less than a few feet away from where he and Petrov were.

"Wait, and the baby is a boy?" Petrov's past self asked as Ron realised immediately what he had to do next.

"Yes."

"And the family, they're the Weasleys?" Ron's past self asked. Knowing full well that Sandra's colleague would most likely tell their past selves the truth, Ron pointed his wand at her before whispering.

"Confundo"

"Yes." The witch replied as she looked momentarily dazed and confused before shaking it off, not realising what she just said. Ron smiled to himself as he turned to Petrov whose eyes had grown wider as he saw what Ron just did.

"Come with me," Ron said as he pulled Petrov away from their past selves.

….

They were in another storage closet, only this time they were in St Mungo's. Ron pushed aside the brooms that laid behind him as he turned to face Petrov. Before he could utter a word, Petrov raised his hand.

"Okay, I think I got it. Back in this time, lots of witches were exposed to dark magic during the war so it's probable a lot of them shared the same symptoms. You said we were in a loop and so you did everything to ensure that the past remains intact from putting the clipboard at your right shoe to Confunding that witch so that she wouldn't give our past selves any issues. Since my dad is in room 237, Sandra never suspected a thing. I'm on board with you on that but Ron, how do you explain meeting and talking to your father?"

"Simple," Ron said as he pointed the wand at himself before casting a simple Glamour Charm. Petrov watched as several of Ron's hairs started to turn grey though his features did not change much. Instead of Ron, Petrov gasped as he stared directly at a perfect physical impression of Arthur Weasley.

"It was you! You talked to your past self." Petrov said excitedly. "But what about our memories that my dad gave Rose to your parents?"

Ron smiled. "Memories can be modified, can't they? My guess is that you cast the Imperius curse on both of our past selves and I modify the memories. That way…"

"That way, the timeline remains intact!" Petrov yelled as he grabbed Ron's shoulders. "Do you know what this means? It means that Ginny Weasley and Rose Potter are two different people! Harry never married his sister! And Rose…"

"Rose comes back with me," Ron replied, finishing Petrov's sentence. "And I keep my promise to Hermione. She has brown eyes like Hermione and red hair like mine so no one can ever tell the difference."

Petrov stared at Ron for the longest time before pulling him into a hug. "Ron, that's brilliant. We can do this!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Ron said as he gave Petrov a smile. "First, I need you to go find Sandra and her friend. Remove their memories of ever meeting us. That will take care of any future issues. Then, you need to find your dad and tell him about the letter. Since we never actually met him tonight, you still need to preserve the timeline."

"Okay," Petrov said as he took the cloak before leaving the closet. Taking a long and deep breath, Ron exited the closet a moment later before heading slowly to a familiar corridor and window, not wanting to be seen by his past self just yet. A loud bang followed by the breaking of glass from a fist hitting the window and a well-known curse being yelled signalled that it was time. Doing his best impression to look concerned and surprised, Ron walked slowly towards his past self whose back was faced away from him. Clearing his throat and doing the best impression of his father's voice that Ron could muster, Ron approached himself.

"You okay, mate? That looks like a bad cut you got there."

…..

"Here," Petrov said as Ron took the silvery liquid from Petrov as they stood over their past selves, who were both fast asleep in his father's office. Putting Petrov's memory together with his own made it easier for the modification spell as Ron modified the memories of their past selves.

"Okay, it's done," Ron said as Petrov nodded. "Get them to the Time Portal room where you will instruct them to travel back in time to deal with Boris. Once they leave this timeline, the effects of the curse will leave them as well as any memories that they might have been Imperiused."

As Petrov apparated with the pair, Ron approached the cot where Rose Potter laid. Her small eyes were shut tight as she slept as Ron laid his head on the edge of the cot, staring at the beautiful sight before him. In such a short time, Ron had experienced what it felt like to lose and gain a daughter. He could feel a pang of guilt rising in him. No one, besides Petrov, would ever know the truth. Harry would never know that Ron's child was his sister. Hermione would never know that she and Ron's child had actually passed. Rose would never know who her real mother really was.

Yet despite the guilt, Ron could feel something else tugging against his heart as he watched tiny Rose fumble about in her sleep. Reaching out with his hand, Ron touched her tiny fingers as they wrapped themselves on his pinky in a soft and gentle grip. At that moment, Ron knew. That despite the years and distance that separated them, throughout all of the pain and obstacles he had to endure, it was clear to him that he would love Rose just as much as he would his own daughter. Ron could see Rose's eyelashes start to flutter.

"Hey there, Rose," Ron whispered as Rose started to cry softly while Ron did the same.

….

For the first time in his life, Ron did not mind the loud squealing of girls as his family and friends gushed over a baby that Hermione held in her arms. He did mind, however, the painful hits he got on his back as his father, brothers, and friends patted him hard on his back.

"Owww!" Ron cried as he glared at Charlie who laughed at him. "Nice job, Ron, especially on the name."

"I know right!" Hermione cried out as she flashed Ron a smile. "Rose is such a perfect name."

"Another redhead." George sighed before giving Ron a mischievous grin. "That's how I supposed you know that it's yours and not Robards or Krum!"

"Eat dung," Ron said as he flashed George a crude gesture, prompting sounds of disapproval from Hermione and his mother. Ron spied Petrov in a conversation with Harry as he approached the pair.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ron asked as he tapped Harry on the shoulder.

"Petrov here was just telling me about how you managed to save Rose using some sort of magical connection to her," Harry explained as he raised the cloak. "Though I still don't know what you wanted with this."

"That's because it's the Cloak, Harry," Ron whispered into his ear. "I figured the third Hallow would keep me safe from any dark magic."

"Good thinking," Harry whispered as Ron mentally patted himself on the back for his quick thinking before turning to Petrov.

"Hey, Hermione and I want to thank you for everything. Let us treat you a nice dinner at the Burrow soon, okay?" Ron said as he hugged Petrov. "Seriously, thanks for everything," Ron whispered as Petrov pulled away before beaming at him.

"Pleasure was all mine. And sure, that sounds lovely." Petrov said as he placed something into Ron's robes. "I believe this is safer with you. You've really impressed me, Ron. I guess time travel wasn't so difficult to understand, was it?"

"No, but it still gives me a headache," Ron said as he smiled at Petrov before walking back to Hermione. He could see Ginny holding Rose as he beamed at his sister before turning his attention to Harry and Hermione who were watching her as well.

"Harry," Ron said as he clapped his best friend's back. "Want to hold Rose?"

"Sure!" Harry said as Hermione grabbed his arm.

"We're naming you and Ginny as Rose's godparents, not like that's not unexpected or anything," Hermione said as Harry laughed before taking Rose into his arms. Ron put his arm around Hermione as she leaned into him.

"I love you, Ron Granger-Weasley," Hermione said as Ron gazed back at his wife who he had never seen looked happier than she was at that moment.

"I love you more, Hermione Granger-Weasley," Ron said as he leaned in to give her a kiss to which Hermione happily reciprocated.

"Look at Harry," Hermione whispered as Ron turned to face his best friend who was cradling Rose in his arms as Ginny laughed and made faces at Rose. "Everything's perfect, Ron. Thank you for keeping your promise."

Ron said nothing as he smiled at the pair of Harry and Rose. The thought of promises from young mothers made him sigh happily as Ron continued to stare at the brother and sister, who after years of being apart, were finally reunited at long last.

…

 _August 11, 2017_

"Just use a Confundus Charm." George snickered as Ron groaned once more. Hermione had been pestering him yet again to take his driving test and the thought of being behind the wheel made Ron almost wish he was hunting Death Eaters once more. Ron sighed as he leaned on his chair in his shop while George handed him the new products that had just been delivered.

"Remind me again why I'm taking a Muggle driver's license?"

"Because if you pass, then you'll get to go driving around Fiji with Hermione on your crystal wedding anniversary." George reminded him as he handed Ron another batch of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. "Can't believe you're actually married to her for fifteen years! Thought she might have divorced you by now."

"Prat," Ron said as he glared at George before sighing. He lifted a pamphlet of Fiji off the counter. Ever since Hermione had agreed to go to Fiji for their wedding anniversary, Ron had been obsessed with planning the trip. Unfortunately, Hermione's agreement did come with one slight catch.

 _Maybe I should just Confound the tester_ Ron thought as George grabbed his coat. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Out to look at houses, remember?" George replied. "I'll be out the whole day. Verity's on leave so it's just you manning the shop."

"Fine but could you keep the closed sign up there for a little while? Hugo kept me up all night and Rose won't stop talking about Hogwarts."

"Hey, the early Griffin catches the Flobberworm," George replied as he gave a wicked grin before removing the closed sign. "Have fun," George said before leaving.

"George, you git!" Ron cried as he pointed a rude gesture towards his brother. Deciding that the distance between the door and the counter where he was seated was too far, Ron shrugged his shoulders before lifting the Fiji pamphlet as he immersed himself in fantasies of warm beaches and Hermione in a bikini

RING!

The sound of the bell by the door indicated a customer and Ron whispered a series of curses under his breath as he threw down his pamphlet. Ron turned his head to face the door where the customer appeared to be looking at the new products though he maintained a very close distance towards the door. Having been the target of a few shoplifters in the past, Ron grunted as he made his way to the customer who seemed rather familiar to him.

…

The first thought that ran through his head as Ron stared at the wizard who was checking out his Love Potion section was that he had to be related to the Malfoys. From the white-blond hair to the grey eyes, the man stood tall, though not nearly as tall as him, and had an expression on his face that Ron could only categorise as smug though it vanished as soon as the man locked eyes with Ron. The man looked to be no older than nineteen as Ron caught him sneaking glances in his direction. Ron noted the wizard's thin lips and strong jawline along with his slim and lanky frame. Something about the wizard nagged at Ron as he decided to approach the customer.

"Can I help you?" Ron asked as he extended his hand. The wizard tugged awkwardly in the handshake though Ron was surprised at him having such soft hands.

"Are you Ronald Weasley?" the wizard asked as Ron nodded his head. It was only then, that Ron caught a glimpse of a golden bracelet hanging on the wizard's wrist. Lukas Petrov had died about three years ago, leaving Ron as the only person to know the truth about Rose. Ron averted his gaze from the bracelet as he glared at the wizard before him.

"Let me guess. You're Lukas Petrov's son?"

The wizard shook his head as he continued to stare at Ron. "Mr. Weasley, I know this may be hard to believe but I'm not from your time. I'm from the future and I came back in time because the world is in grave danger and I need your help to save it."

"Yes, I know all about time travel," Ron replied to the surprise of the man as Ron headed for the counter. "But unfortunately for you, I'm retired. Besides you can't mess with the timeline. What's happened will happened."

"Please, Mr Weasley." the wizard begged as he walked towards the counter. "There's just too much at stake here. At least, just let me introduce myself first. You'll understand why soon enough. Please just give me a chance."

Part of Ron told him to just back away and go back to his pamphlet, ignoring the wizard before him. Yet his curiosity got the better of him. "Fine, I'll bite. Who are you?"

The wizard cleared his throat as he removed a photograph from his robes to hand to Ron.

"My name is Scorpius Malfoy and this is my girlfriend, Rose Granger- Weasley. We need your help."

As Scorpius Malfoy described the situation to Ron, only a single thought ran through his head as Ron sighed while staring at the pamphlet.

 _Bloody hell._

 _So much for Fiji._

….

 **THE END**

 **A/N: So just to recap in case anyone was confused, this story deals with the singular timeline theory where there is only one timeline and it cannot be altered in any way. Ginny was born to the Weasleys and Rose was born to the Potters and so they are different people. When Ron travelled back to 1981, he tricked his past self into thinking that Rose was Ginny before taking Rose and bringing her into his time. Thank you to all my reviewers for those lovely reviews and all my readers for reading this story. Love you guys and if you have anything you would like to address, just leave a review and I will address it. Sorry that this story couldn't be longer but I have to get back to my other story. Take care!**


	5. Chapter 5

Update:

I've recently posted a sequel to this story entitled Ron's back on the Case. The story involves Ron having to return back to being an Auror after five years of being off the force. Ron faces off against a witch named Gretel and her accomplice Hansel in a race against time to save seven children from a horrible fate. I suck at summarises so don't let this short blurb fool you. If you like my interpretation of Ron and you like thrillers, give it a go. And thank you for reading and supporting this story!

Love you all!

Regards

Kyle Landy


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